THIS WEEK IN THE HSI HEALTHIER TALK COMMUNITY Sciatica - leg and buttock pain caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve - can often be treated without painkillers. In a discussion that appears in the HSI Healthier Talk forums this week, a member named Ron writes: "A friend has sciatica now after chemo, maybe it's muscle/nerve damage because of the chemo? But some pain relief would be nice, she has taken all the drugs, nothing is working, rubbing a BenGay product has helped." Cedarchest: "A good chiropractor may be able to offer some great help for your friend. Or a massage therapist. Or both! Also, there is a product called Sombra that I just swear by. It is not available online, however, and must be purchased through a massage therapist. It's rather like Ben-Gay and some of those, but smells like oranges and contains capsaicin (cayenne derived) and isn't a bit greasy." DJT: "I suffered terribly from sciatica before food intolerances were diagnosed, and still get it occasionally when I goof up with the diet. Diet and Constitutional Hydrotherapy by a pro stopped it when it was chronic. I also run for the juicer and juice carrots and celery, with celery predominant. I don't know why this seems to help, but it does. My chiro kept me going before I was cured." Bill: "I had sciatic pain for years, but now that I'm off statins, it's all gone, BUT acupuncture really helped when I had it." Gerry: "I remember a drug literature of a high-dose B1-B6-B12 tablet that included sciatica as one of its indications. So high dose B-complex may be a possible solution?" Klutz "My husband and I have both had on and off bouts of sciatica for years. We swear by a product called CryoDerm, available at Chiropractor's offices." Lianna: "Sciatica can have more than one cause. If it's a structural misalignment, chiropractic can be of great help. If it's more related to soft tissue, deep tissue massage, acupressure or acupuncture may be helpful. If it's due to inflammation, experimenting with a variety of natural anti-inflammatories might help. It can even be a combination of some, or all of these factors. "My grandmother and stepdad experienced great relief from their sciatica by using a combination of chiropractic, B-complex, (heavy on the B6), and natural anti-inflammatories, in their case, a product called nexrutine plus. My sciatica was caused by a car accident, was mostly soft tissue damage, and was completely reversed by deep tissue massage, acupressure and nexrutine plus." For more on sciatica - and information about another non-pharmaceutical treatment - see Thursday's e-Alert "Monkey Mind" (6/29/06), below. Other topics being discussed this week in the Healthier Talk community forums include: - America's Country Doctor: Natural ways to use apple cider vinegar
- Allergies: Bee sting allergies
- General Health Topics:
- Health for Men: Prostate supplements
- Food Questions: Low GI foods - weight loss?
- Product Questions: Household products causing illnesses?
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