semi supine position | Real Food Lover

I am interrupting this food blog to share some useful information: natural healing methods for a slipped disc.

In 2006, I had a slipped disc and although surgery looked on the cards, I recovered naturally. Later, when I was better, I was told by my consultant physiotherapist, that “90% recover naturally”. Wish someone had told me that before.

Today in 2018: This has proved one of my popular blog posts. Although I have had no recurrence, I continue to care for my back daily with the tips below to alleviate pain and promote healing. I also add to the tips as time goes on.

Tips for natural healing of slipped disc

Find a healer who believes nature heals and whom you trust. Try several until you find the one who suits you and your condition.

The trick is to break the pain/tension/inflammation cycle by relaxing tense muscles and lessening pressure on the nerves. Breathe as if in labour to relax: out through the mouth, in through the nose. Relaxation relieves pain.
Immerse in a warm bath with Epsom Salts for at least 15 minutes – the heat will help relaxation. “Epsom salt is absorbed through the skin and will help replenish magnesium stores,” says Dr. Northrup on US Epsom Salt Council.

Let gravity be your ally. Lie down in the Alexander Technique’s semi-supine position (spine flat, knees bent, feet flat and head slightly raised on a pillow) at regular intervals. This position allows the spine to elongate and relax.

Stay mobile. Walk, swim or dance. Practice gentle yoga, Pilates or T’ai chi. Avoid positions that increase discomfort such as sitting down on a chair.

Before even considering surgery, look at your footwear. I could write a thesis on the tragedy of women’s shoes which only for care for looks – not comfort. The holy grail is a stylish shoe that also supports arches and ankles. I recommend FitFlops – sign up with an email address for regular offers on less popular designs (I got great ankle boots for £30). AS FitFlop has got more successful, it has added a bewildering amount of styles. So make sure the style fits your width – for my slightly wide feet, I choose Microwobbleboard or Anatomicush.

How is your bed? Again, before even contemplating surgery, sort out your resting place. I would rather (and I have done) sleep on the floor than on a too soft or unsupporting mattress.

Use heat. My best friend was an electric heat-pad (like a mini-electric blanket) for the small of my back when lying down in the semi-supine position.

Drink water regularly to plump up those discs.

Eat foods with anti-inflammatory ingredients such as turmeric – add turmeric root or ground turmeric to savoury dishes. Or try the Ayurvedic recipe, Golden Milk, a comforting drink of heated milk with turmeric with black pepper which increases the bio-availability of turmeric‘s active ingredient, curcumin. If using plant milk, instead of cow’s milk, add coconut oil – the fat in oil or milk also boosts the bio-availability of curcumin.

Use a ginger compress to soften and relax the traumatised tissues. T’ai chi master and massager, Pete Glenn, insisted I use it daily and he was right. This traditional Chinese remedy sounds so simple – but it works. Try it for back or neck pain and be amazed by its effectiveness!

Ginger poultice

1 oz ground ginger simmered for 20 minutes in 1 pint of water.

Let the sludge cool slightly and immerse a flannel. Squeeze out the flannel and apply to the affected part of your spine. Either repeat at regular intervals OR do lazy version: cover the flannel with a plastic bag to contain the drips and wrap the whole lot with a long scarf or towel to keep it in place.

Ginger is hot to eat and aids digestion because it dilates the blood vessels – applied externally it has a similar, and penetrative, effect.

Long after the flannel has cooled down, you will feel the WARMTH of the ginger, doing its zingy thing.

If you do nothing, make and apply a ginger poultice, put on some calming music and lie down in the semi-supine position – now!