Turmeric has proved to be an important ingredient for Ayurveda medicine practitioners. For centuries it has been known for its healing powers. But the question is, can turmeric heal back pain? With its main components namely, curcumin, anti-inflammatory agents, and antioxidants can turmeric be the secret hiding in your kitchen drawer to help you get rid of your annoying back pain?
While research evidence suggests that medical conditions such as allergies or asthma caused due to inflammation are controlled and prevented by turmeric. Even some practitioners and Eastern medicine advocates guide people to drink turmeric with warm milk as it relieves muscular pain and helps a person to find sleep, which in turn assists in the healing of the body and improves mental health.
Know Your Back Pain
8% of adults out of the total global population suffer from back pain. It ranges from persistent pain to chronic conditions. Back pain is usually caused due to inflammation but there may be underlying medical conditions causing the throbbing pain in your back. It is important to know the cause of your back pain before applying any home remedy. One of these might be the reason:
- The strain of muscle or ligament
- Spinal cord injury
- Arthritis
- Weak nerves
- Osteoporosis
- Wrong Posture
- Prolonged Posture
- Weight
Whether the pain is due to underlying medical issues or any other reason, please note that any prolonged and worsening conditions should not be neglected. Medical consultation should be sought immediately. Turmeric mostly affects the back pain that emanates due to inflammation or adverse effects of free radicals in the body that in turn affect the supporting nerves. It is important to know which type of medical reason is causing your pain.
Properties Of Turmeric
These properties of turmeric contributed to being pharmaceutically prescribed for treating health issues.
1- Anti-Inflammatory
Curcumin is a polyphenol that obstructs the metabolic pathway that causes inflammation. Thereby causing a reduction in pathological conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, etc. including a reduction in aches.
2- Antioxidant
The phenolic composition of curcumin is also attributed to lowering the risk of acquiring a skin, oral, or gut cancer because it hunts for peroxyl radicals and prevents the harmful effects of oxidation in the body. Oxidation can be damaging to even our DNA!
Sciatica Pain And Turmeric
When a throbbing pain occurs from the sciatic nerve then it travels to the lumbar region which is a huge problem for the patient as it impairs the ability to carry our normal functions. Usually, either one of the right or left sides is affected by this pain. It travels through the hips region making sitting as unbearable as standing.
There are many reasons for sciatic pain to happen. One reason might be obesity. Others include aging, weakening of the nervous system, sitting posture for a long duration, etc. Underling medical conditions such as diabetes may also cause sciatic pain. There is a chance of attaining complete recovery from this pain.
Turmeric has anti-inflammatory elements. It has the potential to target the inflamed regions in the body and heal the inflammation. It reduces the body’s inbuilt response to inflammation thereby assisting to heal the lower back pain. The pain originating due to Spinal Cord Injury can be healed through the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.
Research evidence has compared these anti-inflammatory properties found in turmeric to those of the medicines used to here spinal cord injuries. The research proved that curcumin is effective to treat lower back pain and improve the body’s function associated with that specific region. They found that turmeric helps to stimulate the proliferation of the stem cells of the spinal cord and assists to address the damage that occurred or is mediated by free radicals.
The best part of Turmeric is that it has minimum side effects.
Using Turmeric To Heal Back Ache
Once you have discovered the cause of backache you can target your remedies to heal it. While many times you have read the significance of consuming turmeric in your regular diet or having turmeric smoothies on regular basis, the question is does it suffice to heal your back? Certainly not!
Your body requires a specific amount of turmeric/ curcumin to heal the target-specific inflammation in your body. Just consuming it in food won’t assist in any way. Therefore, taking curcumin supplements to heal backache is highly recommended. Some people found taking turmeric and black pepper supplements helpful to heal their backache.
These curcumin supplements usually contain other plant-based ingredients such as Astragin to support your gut to digest curcumin in the given amount and maintain gut health. To determine the specific dose you need to analyze the severity of your pain. 150-250 mg per day dosage is mostly advisable for treating mild pain effectively.
Any Side effects Of Turmeric?
Minimum side effects of using turmeric supplements are reported however, these are the concerns that you must be cautious about:
- If you are diabetic and consuming turmeric, then keep a check on your blood glucose level because it might get lowered.
- In case you are using blood thinners, the anticoagulant attributes of turmeric may cause problems for you.
- Excess to anything is harmful. Prolonged usage may result in issues gut.
Conclusion
Sometimes the healing begins with simple steps. Daily neglect of self might cause temporary issues such as muscle strain or nerve stress which may result in inflammation. Make sure you are not neglecting your health because no matter what happens, you are your own most important resource. Pay attention to the pains happening in your body. They indicate that either you are overworked or over-stressed. In both cases, you need to take measures to remedy it unless it elongates and takes to the worse! Turmeric is your magic ingredient when it comes to healing backache due to inflammation of muscle and nerves. Did you find this information useful? Tell us in the comments.