My career has been mostly in the medical communication editing area. Helping physicians write great articles about a topic that interests them and getting those articles published. Unfortunately, that meant that I spent a lot of time sitting at a desk. The result is that my spine has developed problems that make it painful to stand or walk for extended periods. The low back pain can extend down one or both legs.The pain can vary between mild and severe. More severe pain needs more aggressive treatment and can even be a medical emergency.

The orthopedic physician I saw said that the treatment is ‘minor’ surgery on my spine to relieve the pressure on the nerves. Since when has any surgery on the spine been minor? A quick review of the information that is available on the Internet suggests that there are risks that the surgeon doesn’t want to talk about. My sister-in-law is a nurse who spent some time working on an orthopedic ward – she said that she has seen side effects that I don’t want any part of. So, I want to explore alternative treatments.

• Sleeping – sleep on my side, with a small pillow between my knees. This seems to help, although I usually wake up with the pillow somewhere else
• Surgery – the orthopedic doctor suggested ‘minor’ surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerves in my spine. When has spinal surgery ever been ‘minor’?
• Chiropractic adjustments – my chiropractor has changed his method of adjustments based on the MRI that I have cysts between the lumbar 4th and 5th vertebrae
• Spinal extension – also called inversion therapy. I don’t have an inversion table (paid link – see end of post) like this, but I do have an exercise machine that allows me to lie upside down at an angle of about 30 degrees. I only need to do it for about 5 minutes each day
• Infrared heating pad – very helpful for me. It allows me to sit and apply the heat for an extended period
• Pain relief – I have been lucky to not need to take anything stronger than ibuprofen. Opioids are suggested to help, but the risk of addiction, and other effects, have been well reported. So I choose not to go that route

So, having synovial cysts (or any kind of back injury) can be very painful. It can stop you from enjoying life. You must get professional medical advice before trying any ‘alternative’ treatment. However, there are treatments that do work (I am slowly getting better) and are therefore well worth considering after appropriate medical consultations.

Note: I may receive small compensation from any paid links included in my posts. I do not endorse any of the items linked unless specifically stated – please do your own research to identify the best product for your needs.

Here’s another story suggesting that antibiotics may not be good for us: they may prevent some anticancer drugs from working. This can be added to the reasons why I posted about here. This was another study in mice, but they tested anticancer drugs in animals that had been treated with antibiotics, or not. The animals that had not received the antibiotics responded to the anticancer drugs better than those that had received them. More reasons to take probiotics after a course of antibiotics? I wonder if anyone is researching the effects in humans? I think it is quite likely.

I have written before about the dosage of vitamin D that I should be taking, and the toxicity of vitamin D, but here is a new study from the University of Kentucky that indicates that levels of vitamin D that are too low may be associated with brain damage.

The researchers studied animals, so it remains to be seen whether the same effects would be seen in humans. However, I do know that I feel better when I have been able to spend at least some time in the sunshine, so maybe there is a bit of truth here?

Read the rest of this entry

This post started off with doing some research on PubMed on what studies have actually been conducted into what supplements I might need. The result was total confusion. Some studies say that vitamins may prevent this or that, while other studies say that the same vitamins cause this or that. So, I ended up totally confused. I trained as a pharmacist, and have learned a bit about the macro- and micronutritional needs of my body over the years, so I can only imagine how confused everyone else must be.

A few years ago now I started taking vitamins produced by a company called USANA. I like these because they are produced in a FDA-certified facility, and are backed by a lot of research. I also like them because they have kept me healthy even though I have had a lot of stress in my life. The range of products they have is impressive, but a little while ago they introduced a True Health Assessment that allowed me to assess just what products I needed. Whether I take them or not is up to me, but at least I have a good starting point. The really good thing about the True Health Assessment is that it is free. The products are not, and I do have to say that if you decide to order products after your assessment, I will receive a commission (thank you!). Read the rest of this entry

I have been reading a lot recently about the problems that occur when antibiotics are used too frequently or not correctly. Now, don’t get me wrong: we really do need antibiotics for some infections, and when the natural defenses are weakened. However, for most “healthy” people, we will recover from an infection because of the amazing powers of the human body, not because we took an antibiotic. Antibiotics do cause a couple of problems for our health that may not always show up immediately.

The first problem is when not all bacteria are killed by an antibiotic, even if it is taken as prescribed. Some bacteria will develop a way of beating the antibiotic and survive. This is called antibacterial resistance. The resistant organisms will grow, and multiply. This makes it harder for the antibiotic to do its job. The dose of the antibiotic will then have to be increased to wipe out the bad bacteria. Bacteria can also “hide” from the antibiotic, making it impossible for the antibiotic to do what it is supposed to do.

The second reason that antibiotics are bad for me is that in our normal healthy digestive systems there are millions of bacteria that are actually very good for us. They help digest the food we eat. They break down substances that would otherwise make us very sick or kill us. The “sickness” caused by too few of the good bacteria is sometimes called an “allergy” or a “sensitivity” to a certain food, like the gluten in wheat and other grains. I know about this one, because I have a sensitivity/allergy to gluten. If I take antibiotics, the good bacteria are killed off along with some of the bad bacteria, and those food “allergies” may get worse. Or at least not get better.

The third reason antibiotics are bad for me is that they cause genetic changes in my digestive systems, that increase the ability of the bacteria to fight the effects of the antibiotic. This means that the bacteria can develop more ways to resist the antibiotic. So for an antibiotic to work against that bacteria, it has to be stronger than anything used before. That may kill off even more of the good bacteria that I really need.

The so-called “good” bacteria are an important part of my immune system, helping to trigger the responses that my own body uses to deal with the bad bacteria. When I get an infection, I get a fever. This is a normal part of the healing process. The immune system becomes stronger when the core temperature goes up.

How can I help my body resist the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and increase the chances that I will be able to overcome the infection?

1. Talk to your doctor before trying any alternative treatment methods – it may be that your particular infection needs an antibacterial.
2. Take a good probiotic, although I recognize that the difficulty is knowing which one (or ones) to take as some may be specific for particular infections. A “side effect” may be that the probiotics help reduce obesity, according to some studies.
3. Take vitamin C. At least some bacteria may not be able to become resistant to vitamin C, which may give hope for the future.
4. Take vitamin B3 (niacin)
5. Eat a healthy, balanced diet including fruit and vegetables, and organic meat (avoiding processed meat as much as possible)
6. Wash your hands frequently, using soap and water

Of course, in the future, some or all of these “alternatives” to antibacterials may be the normal treatment for infections, but until such time as they are proven to work, we need to consult with our doctors before trying them.

Sources:

1. Why bacteria are becoming more resistant
2. CDC says that drug-resistant infections are a major problem
3. Restriction of antibiotics could help fight “superbugs”
4. Probiotics help the immune system
5. Probiotic bacteria may remove some of the bad bacteria
6. Probiotics may reduce obesity?
7. Vitamin C for reducing bacterial resistance
8. Vitamin B3 has antibacterial properties