The Best Supplements For Fighting Back Pain

Susan Hamlin
Most back pain sufferers end up on a seemingly endless round of exercise and find ourselves unable to endure the pain of exercise without pills. If you suffer chronic back pain, you are probably wondering if there are any supplements that might assist in healing your back rather than temporarily masking the pain. We would like to get away from the unpleasant side effects of pain medication and live our lives more normally.

Back pain either originates from the bone, muscles and ligaments, or all of these. How then do we supplement our diet in order to build or regain strength in bone and tissue?

When beginning a new regimen of vitamins and supplements, it's important to consult your doctor or nutritionist. Why? Because overdosages of some supplements can actually be toxic. A balance must be achieved due to interaction between various supplements, additionally your dosage will vary depending on your body weight.

Two of the most crucial nutrients known to strengthen cartilage, bone,and muscle are calcium and magnesium. Calcium is well known as the single most important nutrient in building and maintaining strong healthy bones. Magnesium not only assists in bone health but also aids in muscle tone and strength. Magnesium is often included in over the counter back pain relief medications for a muscle relaxing effect.

Vitamin B12 is also effective in relieving back pain, especially in cases of nerve inflammation. Vitamin D, absorbed through sunlight or as a supplement, has also been proven to be vital to bone strength and health. Osteoporosis often is signalled by a deficiency of Vitamin D.

It's very important to get enough thiamine. Thiamine is critical to the process that builds the sheaths protecting our nerves. The protection of these nerves is crucial to relieving back pain.

Glucosamine is a substance that helps build or rebuild the tissue that supports spinal disks and joints, and has been shown to gradually relieve the pain of arthritis or degenerative disk disease. Chondroitan assists in elasticity. As these two naturally-occurring sulfates work well in combination, you usually find these two supplements combined together in various dosages.

Flaxseed oil, which is an omega-3 fatty acid, assists in relieving back pain because it has anti-inflammatory properties. Other anti-inflammatory supplements are bromelain, a pineapple-derived enzyme, ginger, and white willow bark. Peppermint oil is thought to dull nerve endings to keep them from sending pain signals through the body.

For those more interested in addressing the causes of back pain and healing them than merely killing the pain with sometimes harmful medication, you may use this article as a beginner's guide. Feel free to take these suggestions to your health care provider or nutritionist and discuss these supplements as a starting point.

For those of us suffering from back pain, nutrition and supplements are a vital part of our treatment. Why not get started on the road to more natural relief right now?

Published by Susan Hamlin

Freelance writer living in Paradise, California. Interested in the arts, conditions of the spine & chronic pain issues. I love to thrift shop, visit art shows & galleries, outdoor music festivals. Play guita...  View profile

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