Eight out of ten adults in America have—or will soon experience—back pain brought on by the wear and tear of living.

It seems simple to pop a pill for the pain, by why not avoid the side effects by trying natural possibilities first? You can turn to natural healing practices and herbs to alleviate back pain.

According to Chinese medicine, the skeletal structure, bones, and lower back are part of the kidney network. Kidney energy tends to diminish as we age, more rapidly with unhealthy diet, excessive strain, and youthful indiscretions such as drug and alcohol use.

Weakness in the kidney network results in symptoms of lower back pain, as well as general weakness, fatigue, and other signs of premature aging.

Replenishing kidney energy is a slow and difficult process; that is why it is essential to preserve kidney energy. Fortunately, through qigong exercises, herbs, proper diet and lifestyle, you can slow down its depletion and even regenerate certain aspects of kidney energy, and in the process, ease some of your back pain. Try these tips!

1. Eucommia for your aching back

Eucommia is a traditional ingredient in herbal formulas for back and joint pain and helps to strengthen your bones, tendons, and ligaments. Western studies with rats have discovered that both the leaves and the bark of eucommia contain a compound that encourages the development of collagen, an important part of connective tissues like skin, tendons, and ligaments. A typical dosage is 350 mg twice a day. You can also try the traditional Chinese Arthritis/Joint formula, which includes eucommia and other herbs that support a strong back.

2. Press here for relief

Lower back pain is one of the most common problems that we treat at the Tao of Wellness. We use acupuncture and bodywork to reduce pain, which has proven quite effective. Like acupuncture, acupressure is the art of acupuncture without needles, where you use your own fingers to stimulate a specific acupoint. The combination of the following two acupoints is good for strengthening the kidneys and alleviating back pain:

• Find the acupoint: Forceful Torrent (Ki-3), which is in the depression between the inner anklebone and the Achilles tendon of the right foot. Apply steady pressure with your right thumb until you feel soreness. Hold for 3 minutes. Repeat on the left foot.

Find the acupoint: Supporting the Core. It’s in the middle of the popliteal crease behind the knee of the right leg. Apply pressure with your right middle finger until you feel soreness. Hold for 3 minutes. Repeat on your left leg.

You can also massage the parts or your back that are in pain. Tonic oil, which consists of oils of camphor, peppermint, eucalyptus, fennel, and wintergreen, can be massaged into your back for relief from minor aches and pains.

3. Tasty treats for back pain

Make a delicious anti-inflammatory cocktail by mixing equal parts of unsweetened black cherry juice with dark grape juice and drink 3 to 6 glasses a day until the pain has eased. Also, feature more pineapple in your diet. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps with back pain, as well as muscle and joint pain.

4. Exercise can ease your back

Most back pain is caused by the wear and tear of living, which over time weakens our skeletal structure, in the form of bone loss or a displaced disk. Research conclusively shows that exercise early in life builds bone mass and strengthens the skeletal structure, helping to prevent injury down the road. The good news is that if you are advancing in age, regular exercise can slow the progress of degenerative bone disorders.

Generally for a healthy back, I recommend a combination of exercises: a 30-minute daily walk, moderate weight training to strengthen muscles and bones, and tai chi or qigong to build endurance and flexibility. A good form to choose is Dao-In qigong, which is gentle on the body and great for loosening up the back. During acute back pain, exercise may be difficult or too painful. Until you are mobile, bed rest is the best.

I hope you have found some natural ways to alleviate your back pain! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

While nutritional supplements such as glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids can help alleviate pain, researchers are now saying that breathing techniques may help ease various discomforts.

Researchers from the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University found that chronic pain sufferers, also known as fibromyalgia patients, were less likely to report feeling pain when they breathed slower. However, if the patients were overwhelmed by feelings of stress or anxiety, breathing techniques did nothing.

Participants were female, between the ages of 45 and 65, and were either previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia or healthy.

Researchers administered moderately painful heat pulses on their palms. Patients were asked to reduce their breathing rates by 50 percents. Overall, between both healthy and fibromyalgia groups noticed a less amount of pain when they slowed down their breathing.

It was found that patients who had fibromyalgia and had a positive outlook on life were less likely to feel pain when they slowed down their breathing rate.

“This fits with the idea that FM patients in general have low positive affect, or energy reserves. Those who do have some positive energy left in their “mental battery” can use it to reduce pain by breathing slowly, just like healthy normals,” said lead researcher Dr. Arthur Craig.

Simply know this: Your thoughts and feelings support your actions, your actions support your steps, your steps support your behavior and your repeated behavior becomes your lifestyle.

Take a look at how the small choices lead to a lifestyle:

Become aware of emotions you associate with the experience of exercise. Tune into your well-being and joy when you are active. Choosing to be active is much easier when your mind says, “This is fun!” or “This feels good!”

Visualize walking around the block to get your mail and playing with your kids or grandkids. Let those thoughts inspire creativity, so you begin to make other feel-good exercise plans.

Live in the present, which is the only “place” where you can be active. Actions happen now, not in the past or future. In-the-moment opportunities, such as walking up the ramp at the mall instead of taking the escalator, riding a bike instead of driving or taking a walk on your lunch break instead of gobbling fast food, provide ways for you to fit in fitness and should be part of your daily exercise routine.

• Create your belief system, make your choices and take a step. After experiencing the endorphin release caused by physical activity that can reduce pain, believe that exercise can make you feel better and make exercise plans. Choose to be active over being still. Accumulated in-the-moment choices are the actions that become the steps that establish a lifestyle.

• Cultivate and engage. Each day we engage in activities that care for our body, such as taking a shower, eating, sleeping and brushing our teeth. These actions have become a lifestyle and, more than likely, there are aspects of each one that you enjoy while you are engaged in it. The same can be said for exercise. As you cultivate a relationship with exercise, you create and live an exercise lifestyle, and your actions – and life – become extremely rewarding and enjoyable.

A newly released study illustrates that those people who wore or wear high-heeled shoes, or less supportive shoes, were much more likely to experience hind foot pain, a pain found around the heel of a person’s foot. While there have been previous studies that have demonstrated links between the type of shoe a person chose to wear and foot pain, most of the previous studies were very small and honed in on one specific foot problem, according to researchers leading the new study.

The new study, recently released in Arthritis Care & Research, illustrated that people who wore or wear unsupportive footwear such as sandals, high heals, or slippers are more likely to suffer from foot pain later in life. The study found that even though a shoe may feel comfortable now, if the shoe is not supportive, there could be consequences later in life.

The study, headed by lead author Alyssa B. Dufour, with the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife, investigated over 3,300 foot examination records of men and women that participated in the Framingham Study, started in 1948. The study found that nearly 64 percent either of women who reportedly had worn high heels, pumps or sandals regularly at some time during their lives, had experienced hind foot pain.

While there were 19 percent of the men and 29 percent of the women that experienced some sort of foot pain, researchers were unable to link the men’s issues to a shoe support problem, mainly because only two percent wore shoes deemed bad shoes.

For the study, researchers classified shoes in three groups: a good shoe, such as sneakers; an average shoe, including work boots or rubber-soled shoes; and poor shoes, those that lack support, such as high heels, sandals and slippers. Participants involved in the study answered questions as to where their foot pain was experienced and if the pain was in one or both feet. They were asked questions in regards to the types of shoes that were worn at different stages in their lives.

The stages were broken down by ages including 20-29, 30-44, 45-64, 65-74, and over 75. Women who reportedly wore good shoes compared to those that wore average shoes in their pasts, were 67 percent less likely to report heal pain.

According to Dufour, foot and toe symptoms are one of the top 20 reasons adults from 65 to 75 years old see a physician. While we all want to look our best, we need to consider the consequences of what we put on our feet, not only presently, but also in our future.  Based on the new research, there is definitely a benefit to wearing more supportive footwear.

Ladies, while this study focused on foot pain there are other side affects of high-heels, including causing the toes to taper inward and can lead to calf muscles being smaller. Rethink wearing those unsupportive shoes regularly, and opt for the more comfortable supportive shoes. It just may save you several trips to the doctor down the line and agonizing pain.

One factor is your weight. You should try to maintain a healthy weight since extra pounds can place a strain on your joints. Statistics indicate by losing just five pounds, you could relieve 15 pounds of pressure off your knees.

Also, moderate exercise can help improve your aches and pains. If you are suffering from an injury, you should pay attention to it of course, but inactivity can also mean stiff joints.

Substitute walking for jogging to reduce the pressure on your hips or legs, in order to keep moving and stay active. Other low-impact activities include swimming and riding a bicycle.

If you experience moderate swelling or pain while exercising, it may help to place a hot or cold compress to the area. This can help reduce inflammation quickly.

Dietary supplementation with such nutrients as astaxanthin, collagen and glucosamine has been shown to help:

• Provide minor joint pain relief
• Promote healthy cartilage function
• Protect you from free radical damage
• Increase your antioxidant levels
• Promote regular sleep patterns
• Increase your energy levels

By taking these simple steps to improve your joint function, you can continue enjoying the activities you love without all the pain afterwards.

If you wake up with aches… pains… and stiffness… you’re not alone!

More than 40 million Americans suffer from knee… back… hand… wrist… finger… and hip pain. Just the slightest flare-up can ruin your entire day and keep you up all night!

Most prescription drugs get rid of the pain but cause other negative side effects to the rest of your body.

For real relief, you want a remedy that can:

• Clobber joint pain quickly
• Repair and lubricate joints
• Soothe fiery inflammation
• Put an end to throbbing pain
• Reverse cartilage damage
• Improve blood flow to traumatized areas
• Help improve repetitive motion.