Fw: Drop the Problem, Not the Pain

-------Original Message-------   From: Al Sears, MD Date: 22-02-2011 09:52:59 AM Subject: Drop the Problem, Not the Pain   Al Sears, MD 11903 Southern Blvd., Ste. 208 Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 February 22, 2011 Dear Irshad, You want to be able to do what you want, when you want. And if you can't because you feel pain, it's very frustrating. Most people believe that back pain is caused by an isolated event. The thinking goes, "Since I didn't have pain before the activity, the activity must have caused the pain." After that, what usually happens is that you imagine if you can get rid of the pain it will get rid of the problem. But getting rid of the pain is like shooting the messenger. You want to get rid of the problem, not the pain. Pain is just a signal. A sign that something is wrong and you need help. To cure the underlying cause of your back pain, you need to find out whether the pain is nerve-based or tissue-based. Nerve pain is normally some type of burning, tingling or pins-and-needles feeling. Tissue pain usually comes from a "knot" in your muscles, or a dull ache in a ligament or tendon. Once you know what you have, you can find out why your body is creating the conditions for pain to occur. For example, you may have been led to believe that you aren't getting enough calcium, when you really may be deficient in magnesium. Without magnesium, you can't process calcium properly. Magnesium also is involved in the muscle-relaxation response, so if you don't have enough of it, trigger points are more likely to develop. You need an adequate, balanced supply of both (along with potassium and other trace minerals) to keep your muscles loose and ready to move at will. Another nutritional cause of back pain could be a lack of vitamin C. That's because collagen makes up your connective tissue, and you use vitamin C to make collagen. Adequate vitamin C can keep your back and other joints inflammation-free. This is one of the reasons I talk to you all the time about getting the right amounts of the right nutrients into your body. It's important to be able to get up and get going without frustration. But back pain can't always be reduced through nutrition alone. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD