This Common Back Pain Treatment Is Useless

For decades, doctors have been prescribing Valium as a standard treatment for lower back pain.1

The idea was that this powerful sedative would relax the muscles to ease pain.2

But a new study finds that Valium (diazepam) works no better than a sugar pill for back pain. In fact, patients taking a sugar pill actually recover faster.

The research looked at 114 patients in New York whose back pain was so severe that they went to an emergency room. Scientists discovered that 31.5% of patients given Valium still had moderate to severe pain a week later. Only 22% of patients given a placebo still had significant pain.3

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Valium: Worse than Worthless for Back Pain

Not only does Valium not work for back pain, it is extremely dangerous. It’s highly addictive. One study found that half of those prescribed Valium abuse it or are addicted after three months of use.4

Overdoses can easily occur, especially if patients mix the drug with alcohol, sleeping pills, or painkillers.5

Valium is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. They also include Xanax and Ativan. In 2013, overdoses from these medications killed more than 7,000 Americans.6

Even while Americans were dying by the thousands, doctors kept prescribing more of the drugs. In 1996, 8.1 million prescriptions of benzodiazepines were filled in the U.S.

By 2013, that number had jumped to 13.5 million.7

A Better Back Pain Solution

In the wake of the new study, even conventional doctors are rethinking how to treat lower back pain. The American College of Physicians (ACP) has put out new guidelines that state what we’ve been telling you for years: Don’t take valium for back pain. It doesn’t work.

In fact, there is usually no need to see a doctor at all for back pain, according to Dr. Rick Deyo. He’s a spine researcher and professor at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. Dr. Deyo is one of the authors of the new guidelines.8

“For acute back pain, the analogy is to the common cold,” he said. “It is very common and very annoying when it happens. But most of the time it will not result in anything major or serious.”

Most back pain goes away on its own after no more than a few weeks, Dr. Deyo said.

Dr. Nitin Damle is president of the ACP board of regents. Even over-the-counter pain relievers should not be the first choice for back pain, he said. “We need to look at therapies that are nonpharmacological first,” Dr. Damle said. “That is a change” from previous recommendations.9
Dr. Benjamin Friedman led the Valium study. He said, “Our study contributes to the growing body of literature indicating that, in general, most medications do not improve acute lower back pain.”10
The new guidelines state that instead of prescribing drugs for back pain, doctors should recommend exercise, massage, or acupuncture.11

7 Natural Remedies for Back Pain

It is tempting to lay on the couch when back pain strikes. But this will only make things worse. Instead, as much as possible, you should try to maintain your normal activity level.

Here are seven ways to speed your recovery:

1. Cut Inflammatory Foods: Eating the right foods can decrease inflammation… But eating the wrong foods can have an even more powerful—and negative—effect. Processed foods, sugars, grain, alcohol, and MSG may keep your back from healing. Try a simple elimination diet for two weeks. Remove some of the worst offenders and see if it improves your pain. If it works, make the change permanent.

2. Exercise: Almost any kind of exercise can help heal your back. Slowly stretching your back muscles can reduce back spasms and pain. Yoga stretches work particularly well. One study found that people who exercise four or more times per week have nearly 30% less back pain.

3. Take Krill Oil: Research shows a krill oil supplement can reduce inflammation by up to 20% in just one week. Krill oil also gives you a dose of astaxanthin. This potent antioxidant—65 times more powerful than vitamin C— helps fight inflammation. Take a 300-mg dose of a quality krill oil supplement once a day.

4. Take a Stand: Sitting down for too long puts stress on your piriformis muscle. It starts at the lower spine and connects to the upper surface of each femur (thighbone). Prolonged sitting can lead to piriformis syndrome. This condition has many of the same symptoms as a slipped disk. It can even cause nerve damage if you don’t treat it.

But there’s a simple solution: Stand up every hour or so for five minutes. Standing takes stress off your back—and your piriformis muscle. One study found that people who stayed standing in the morning had 23% less lower back pain.

5. Eat Tart Cherries: Tart cherries are a strong anti-inflammatory. Anthocyanins, the compounds that give cherries their red color, are the active ingredients. One study found that eating about 20 tart cherries fights inflammatory pain as well or better than a pain-relieving drug.

If you can’t find organic tart cherries in your supermarket, look for tart cherry extract. It’s widely available online or in health food stores.

6. Take Willow Bark: This ancient natural remedy contains salicin. It’s the same compound in aspirin that relieves pain and inflammation. Besides lower back pain, it is effective against menstrual cramps, fever, flu, tendonitis, bursitis, and osteoarthritis. Take 1-3 grams.

7. Apply Capsaicin: Capsaicin is what gives peppers their heat. Many back sufferers apply a topical capsaicin ointment to their back during flare-ups.12

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References:
1http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/pain-medication/muscle-relaxants
2https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics
3https://consumer.healthday.com/bone-and-joint-information-4/backache-news-53/valium-may-be-useless-for-acute-lower-back-pain-719760.html
4https://www.prescriptiondrugabuse.org/Valium-Addiction-Statistics.htm
5https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics
6https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/sedatives-health-news-598/fatal-overdoses-rising-from-sedatives-like-valium-xanax-708207.html
7https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/sedatives-health-news-598/fatal-overdoses-rising-from-sedatives-like-valium-xanax-708207.html
8https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/health/lower-back-pain-surgery-guidelines.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
9https://consumer.healthday.com/bone-and-joint-information-4/backache-news-53/valium-may-be-useless-for-acute-lower-back-pain-719760.html
10https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/health/lower-back-pain-surgery-guidelines.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
11https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/health/lower-back-pain-surgery-guidelines.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
12https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2014/05/5-ways-to-help-ease-lower-back-pain/