Sciatica is a special kind of back pain that usually starts at the buttocks and travels down the leg to the foot. It is usually found on only one side of the body at a time. It is caused by a pinching of the sciatic nerve. This nerve is actually a thick bundle of nerves that connects the legs and feet to the spinal cord. Some doctors believe that age has a part to play in the causes of sciatica. Under age 40 they first suspect a slipped or bulging disk. Over age 40 there seems to be a correlation with dehydration.
Other things can cause a similar pain. That is why many doctors recommend you are seem by a medical professional early. One of those is PAD or peripheral artery disease. My personal Chiropractor has said that if a pain doesn’t stop or at least diminish after two days to come and see him. This keeps every sore muscle from overexertion from ending up in his office. A Chiropractor is a good option when you have lower back and leg pain. Sometimes their adjustments are all you need to relieve the pain. If you need something more a good Chiropractor will refer you to someone better able to take care of you.
Some things you can do at home can help a lot. Because the object pinching the nerve can be muscle or bone the first order of business is to reduce inflammation in the area. Believe it or not Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes can help here. Studies have shown Bromelain, the enzyme found in pineapple fights inflammation. It is just one of the enzymes included in Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes. Also included are the minerals needed to activate these enzymes. A study done with boxers showed that Bromelain significantly speeded up the healing process when boxers were injured. Other studies with athletes have shown that taking enzymes before a workout can reduce or eliminate inflammation caused by the workout.
Antioxidants are also called for in the battle against inflammation. Although most books look to Quercetin as the antioxidant of choice we have personally found that Enriching Gifts Metabolic Complete works very well for this. Instead of being one antioxidant Enriching Gifts Metabolic Complete is a mixture of some of the best antioxidants available. This gives your body the tools it needs to fight inflammation.
Of course the first thing you want to do is just ease the pain. You know that nutritional and herbal supplements take time. These are food, in concentrated forms. Because of this the dosages are going to seem bigger and the time for your body to react will be longer than with pharmaceuticals. For pain relief the books recommend turmeric. It contains curcumin and has been used for thousands of years to ease pain and inflammation. That is probably because the ancients hadn’t figured out a way to get enough aloe into the body to do the job. This is where Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max comes in. You know how soothing aloe juice can be to an external cut or burn. Now imagine flooding your insides with that same comfort. One capsule of Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max has as much polysaccharides (the active ingredient) as a gallon of aloe juice. When you are in pain you can’t drink enough aloe juice to make a difference, but now you can take Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max. My husband and I take a couple anytime we do anything physically exerting. Between the Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max and the Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes we rarely have sore muscles for more than a day.
For years doctors have recommended bed rest for back pain. Some newer studies are showing that isn’t always the best idea. Gentle movement of the area seems to heal the area faster than complete rest. If you understand the mechanics of inflammation that seems to make sense. When the body detects an injury it sends extra fluids to the area to cushion it and provide a pathway for the healing enzymes. Once the injury has begun to heal that swelling goes down and things get back to normal. The problem is when you immobilize that area it is harder for the body to take away that excess fluid. It sits there and causes more damage that what it was meant to prevent. Gentle movement helps move that excess fluid out of the area.
At the beginning of this article I said dehydration can play a part in sciatica. If you are in pain the first thing you need to do is drink more water, lots more. Then reach for the Enriching Gifts products mentioned above. If you don’t have any relief after two or three days then give your Chiropractor a call.
Sources:
Nature’s Medicines by Gale Maleskey and the Editors of Prevention Health Books, copyright 1999 by Rodale Inc.
Blended Medicine Combining Mainstream and Alternative Therapies by Michael Castleman copyrighted 2000 by Michael Castleman.
Enzymes the Fountain of Life by D.A Lopez, M.D., R.M Williams, M.D., Ph.D and K. Miehlke, M.D. copyrighted 1994 by the Neville Press Inc.
