Between two and five million Americans suffer back pain per year.
At some point in life, about four out of five Americans experience back pain severe enough to require medical intervention, according to Dr. James A. Duke, Ph.D., author of "The Green Pharmacy." Doctors no longer recommend rest for back pain, but often recommend exercise, yoga, short-term medication or chiropractic treatments. Some patients may require stronger medications, such as codeine or morphine. For patients with lesser pain or inflammatory flare-ups, there are various herbs and essential oils that can offer relief.
Instructions
Red Pepper as a Topical Analgesic
1. Red peppers contain capsaicin.
Mash a red pepper. Mashed fresh hot peppers will work best, or you can crush dried hot peppers in a mortar and pestle. If you have access to organic hot peppers already crushed, pesticide-free, that is fine, also. The pain-relieving chemical, capsaicin, is found in red peppers. It is also an active ingredient in many pharmaceutical topical analgesics.
2. Mix it with any white cold cream or lotion that you have readily available. Mix enough to turn it pink.
3. Massage it into the painful area. Repeat every four hours as needed. Wash hands immediately after rubbing the mixture in.
Peppermint Oil for Muscle Tightness
4. Menthol is a natural constituent of the mint family.
Gather a vial of peppermint oil and a container of any over-the-counter menthol cream. Menthol is a compound that is found in many over-the-counter backache rubs. It can help ease muscle tightness that contribute to backaches. It works sometimes side-by-side with camphor by causing the skin to feel cool and then warm, according to Medicine Net Online.
5. Scoop some of the menthol cream out of the container and place it into a clean bowl. Sprinkle six drops of peppermint oil into it and mix together.
6. Put on disposable gloves and massage the rub onto the painful area. If the rub doesn't feel tingly, add more drops of the peppermint oil. Repeat every four hours as needed. The peppermint oil will work with the menthol to relieve muscle tightness.
Essential Oils for Pain and Muscle Spasms
7. Essential oils can help back muscles relax.
Add four drops of essential oil to two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Essential oils can help relieve painful muscle spasms, according to Dr. James A. Duke Ph.D. Oils rich in thymol and carvacrol, compounds proven to help muscles relax, are thyme, horsebalm, mountain dittany, rosemary and sage.
8. Sprinkle droplets of essential oil into a hot bath and soak. Inhaling vapors and soaking in oils such as, sage, rosemary, cardamom, peppermint , spearmint, lavender, ginger, birch, basil and marjoram, can relieve back spasms, especially when followed up with an essential oil rub-down after the hot bath.
9. Apply the essential oil of lavender to the painful area of the back. Lavender can be applied neat or undiluted to the skin. Lavender has anti-inflammatory and cell regenerating properties. It is one of the most famous essential oils for pain and relaxation, according to Massage Today Online.
Tags: back pain, painful area, according James, according James Duke, drops peppermint, Essential oils