Uh-oh! There it goes again! Your nagging back pain is back. "What did I do this time?," you ask yourself. Ice packs, heat, massage, nothing seems to get rid of it.

Guess what? Maybe it came from what you ate! In my years as a Corrective Exercise Specialist and Neuromuscular Therapist, I have found that poor eating habits can contribute heavily to the backaches and pains that many of my clients experience. Here are the top 5 errors.

1. Not eating for your individual metabolism. Just as you are a unique person in comparison to others, your body has a unique biochemistry and processes nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats differently. Generally speaking, there are three major categories that people will fall into. They include: Protein Type, Carbo Type, or Mixed Type. If you are a Protein Type (your body performs best on a diet based primarily on proteins and fats), and you are currently eating like a Carbo Type (a diet focused on high carbohydrates and low fat), your body will be stressed due to hormonal imbalance. There are many symptoms you may experience from eating the wrong fuel mix, and back pain can be one of them. Eating the right fuel mix for your body will decrease gut stress, which has been shown to reflex pain to the lower back.

2. Eating foods that you are allergic or intolerant to. Exercise expert Paul Chek says "When pain impulses come from the small intestine, bowel or any organ of digestion, there may be some level of inhibition (weakness) and possibly pain in the corresponding region of the abdominal wall. It is important to remember food allergies and intolerance commonly causes inflammation of the gut." The higher the level of inflammation you have the less likely that you have abdominal muscles that work. Since the abdominal muscles stabilize your lower back, it is very important to keep them working. There are two ways to take action against food allergies and intolerance. Blood tests can be helpful at detecting allergies. The second way is to follow a rotation diet. This means that you don't eat foods from the same genetic family more than once every four days. For example, if you eat chicken on Monday, then you would not eat it again until Friday.

3. Not drinking enough water. The main function of water is to maintain a stable environment in cells throughout the body. It also aids in the removal of waste products in cells. Drinking enough water is important to hydrate the discs in your spine and keep them healthy. I recommend drinking half of your bodyweight in ounces of water each day.

4. Not enough omega-3 fats in your day. Your body needs omega-3 (linolenic acid) and omega-6 (linoleic acid), two essential fatty acids. They are called "essential" because your body cannot make them. They must be supplied by the foods you eat. Most people find it easier to get omega-6 than omega-3 in their diet. In fact, some people eat as much as 25 times more omega-6 than omega-3. But with that 25-to-1 ratio, you are just asking for pain. That is because omega-6 promotes inflammation and pain, while omega-3 does just the opposite. For people suffering from inflammation, the amount of essential fatty acids in the diet may not be as important as the ratio of the two. If you are fighting inflammation, a 2-to-1 to 4-to-1 ratio may best. The best source of omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, however most fish today are highly toxic with chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury. I suggest using a high quality cod liver oil or fish oil supplement instead.

5. Eating processed foods. It is not uncommon to look at food labels today and not be able to pronounce even half of the ingredients! The majority of these words listed on the label are the various substances used to color, flavor, stabilize, bleach, texture, preserve, or sweeten the food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists about 2,800 international food additives and 3,000 chemicals that are added to your food supply every year! Many of these food additives and chemicals are known to be mucous membrane irritants, central nervous system depressants, and cause major stress in your gut. This can all lead to inflammation in the body and make your back pain worse! Avoid packaged or processed foods. Spend your time shopping around the perimeter of your local store and pick fresh foods.

There you have it! If you avoid these 5 common nutritional mistakes you will find yourself with less back pain and you will feel significantly better. Less stress to your body in general will allow it to heal any areas that may be causing you pain. If you give your body the right environment to thrive in, it can and will heal itself!

Sam Visnic is a C.H.E.K. Practitioner, Nutrition Coach, and certified NLP Practitioner who specializes in providing safe and effective corrective exercise solutions for back pain sufferers. For his free special reports, articles, and newsletter, visit http://www.EndMyBackPain.com

As back pain has become more and more common among the aging Baby Boomer population, many approaches to back pain treatment have been developed both to alleviate their pain and to assist them in keeping their backs healthy enough to avoid further acute back pain episodes.
If you have back pain which does not respond to an over-the0counter medication, and keeps returning, you should consult a doctor or chiropractor. Untreated back pain will not only interfere with your ability to live your life; it can cause you overall physical condition to deteriorate to a debilitating degree.
Types Of Back Pain Treatment
Back pain therapy is available in a variety of forms, from medicating, to exercise and stretching, to nutritional supplements, stress reduction techniques, chiropractic manipulation and acupuncture, to surgery. There is almost certain to be something which will help you.

The usual back pain treatment is a combination of medication and physical or chiropractic therapy. The medication is usually prescribed to manage the back pain, and will be chosen depending on the type of back injury which is causing the pain. Muscles in spasm will normally be treated with muscle relaxants; nerve pain is treated with anti-inflammatories. The most severe pain may demand opioids, […]

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A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain. However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses. Here are some of the best yoga poses for relieving back pain. Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.

Corpse: Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, arms resting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned out slightly. If it hurts your back to have your knees turned outward, do this pose with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds while allowing any tension to leave the body.

Cat Stretch: Start out on your hands and knees with a flat back. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Knees should be directly under the hips. Head is held loosely so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck your chin in to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Hold, then release back into your original position.

Wind Releasing Pole: Lie flat on your back as in Corpse pose. As you inhale, bend your knee, place your hands right below the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain flat on the floor. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch your knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with the other leg.

Sage Twist: Warning for this pose?it involves twisting your back, so you should take particular care not to twist too far or you risk aggravating any existing back pain. This should be a gentle stretch; twist just as far as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. This is where you need to be careful not to twist too far. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.

Palm Tree: Stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise both arms over your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms are facing upward. Next, place your palms on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. Stretch your arms upwards, and at the same time, come up onto your toes if you can do so without pain. Stretch your entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people have difficulty balancing during this pose, so just do the stretching parts if you need to.

Fish Pose: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as far as you comfortably can and raise it off the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head backwards and rest the crown of your head on the floor. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one minute if you can.

LOCUST: Lie face down with arms at the side, palms down, and elbows slightly bent with fingers pointing towards the feet. Raise your legs and thighs as high off the ground as possible without causing your back any pain. Hold for one second and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must take care to strain already injured muscles.

Bending Forward Pose: Stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms straight above your head. While breathing out, bend forward and touch your toes if you can. If you can't reach your toes, grab hold of your ankles or calves. To complete the pose, you should touch your head to your knees, but this may be too difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.

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