Summary
see also Joint Pain or
Muscle Pain
Back pain is a common term covering a wide variety of
situations primarily centered around the spinal column.
The spinal column is not only a major structural member of
the human anatomy but it also houses the spinal cord, a key
part of the Central Nervous System and the primary conduit
for exchange of information between the Peripheral Nervous
System (limbs, organs, and glands) and the brain.
Injury or disease to the ve
rtebrae,
discs, or the spinal cord can all be the source of back
pain. Also, since nerve signals from the Peripheral
Nervous System travel through the spinal column, injury or
disease of the spine can lead to improper function or “mixed
signals” in these other parts of the body. Listed
below are common types of back problems and also a
simplified chart showing which of the vertebrae is the
critical point where nerves leave the spinal column to
service various parts of the body.
Muscle Strain
With heavy or awkward lifting, repeated uncomfortable
actions, over exertion, or with a fall or other type of
accident the muscles in the back can be strained resulting
in aching pain that can last for days.
Whiplash
This is the common term for the injury resulting from an
abrupt jerking motion of the head resulting in an injury to
the neck. Common in our day of auto crashes.
Disk degeneration
The disks between the vertebrae provide a cushion and
flexibility to the spine. They may be damaged through
accident or degenerate with age. Typically with
age the outer covering of the disc will weaken causing the
disc to bulge and to flatten. The flattening can
eventually cause bone to bone contact between vertebrae and
become a source of pain. The bulging can put pressure
on the adjacent nerves and be another source of pain.
If the bulging adds enough pressure the disc may rupture
which is termed a herniated disc. The pain in these
cases can be dull and achy or become sharp and shooting in
acute situations.
Sciatica
(see also Sciatica)
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve pair that travels from
the lower spine to the legs and feet. The nerve
transitions from the spine from the L4, L5, and S1 locations
which are in the lower part of the back. These are
structurally susceptible to stress with all the pressure
that can be applied to this part of the back. If the
nerves are pinched or damaged it will result in pain,
numbness, or weakness in any area from the lower back to the
feet.
Facet joints
The vertebrae are linked together with the facet joints
(see diagram). These joints can degenerate with
arthritis or age. As they degenerate they can become
inflamed and painful. Prolonged sitting or remaining
in one position can exacerbate the pain and standing or
flexing the back can provide some relief. Over time
this can lead to osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis
As the facet joints deteriorate the body may try to
compensate by producing a bony growth commonly called a bone
spur. This bony structure can narrow the passages that
nerves go through and result in pressure on those nerves.
Failed Back Syndrome
Many journals now list this as a common back problem.
This is the result of back surgery that has left the person
with no improvement or even a worsened condition.
Statistics now suggest that this happens in 15 to 40 percent of
back surgeries.
Spinal stenosis
This is a narrowing of any of the channels that carry
nerves thereby putting pressure on the nerves. It is a
term that applies to many of the conditions above. It
can result in pain, numbness and/or loss of strength in
limbs and can affect bladder and bowel functions as well.
The Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord) are
connected to other parts of the body through the Peripheral
Nervous System. If damage is done to the spine it can
have an effect on other parts of the body. The chart
below is a simplified diagram of where various nerves leave
the spinal column traveling to other limbs, organs, and
glands of the body.
Oils, blends & products
recommended:
Oils & Blends:
Balance, birch, Deep Blue, frankincense,
helichrysum, white fir, wintergreen
Essential oils based
products: AromaTouch Technique, Deep Blue
Rub, MJ Assist
Also consider:
Basil, cypress, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon,
marjoram, myrrh, oregano (use oregano topically with
a carrier oil), peppermint, rosemary,
sandalwood, thyme
Suggested protocols:
Back pain many times includes the following
scenario:
1) There is an injury or degeneration that leads to
damage of nerve, muscle, or connecting tissue. With
the back most commonly nerve pressure or damage is involved.
2)
Pain may be accompanied by loss of feeling and/or loss of
strength
3)
Inflammation compounds the pressure on the nerve
4) As the back
muscles try to compensate there are often muscle
spasms or cramps in the back area that add additional
pressure and intense pain.
This leads to the conclusion that the protocol should
include:
1) Oils for immediate pain relief
2)
Oils for inflammation reduction
3) Oils to relax muscles and eliminate the spasms
4)
Oils for increased circulation to facilitate quicker healing
5) Oils that heal and rebuild the damaged tissue
BEST TO START HERE:
· The
single best possible step is to use the
AromaTouch
Technique described elsewhere on this website.
Daily if possible. Follow with a hot compress.
· Supplement
this with the oils listed below.
THEN COMBINE WITH THESE
(as necessary):
Oils for immediate pain relief:
· Deep Blue, birch,
or wintergreen
· Apply
2 -3 drops topically to the area where the pain is manifested
as often as required or use Deep Blue Rub. (For some wintergreen may need to be applied with a
carrier.)
· To
make the AromaTouch Technique or other oils and blends
applied to the back more effective use a hot compress after
the application to drive the oils deeper into the tissues
and muscles.
Oils to reduce inflammation:
· Basil,
bergamot, myrrh, Roman chamomile, rosemary, or wintergreen
· Apply
topically to spinal area. This is the location on the
spine where the nerve is being pinched and will probably be
different that where numbness or lack of strength or even
muscle cramps occur. For example, if numbness and loss
of strength is in the leg then the lower back area where the
sciatic nerve originates may well be where there is nerve
compression. Two or three drops topically 2 - 3
times daily. (For some wintergreen may need to be applied with a carrier.)
Oils to relax muscles and eliminate spasms:
· AromaTouch,
helichrysum, lavender, marjoram, or melissa
· Apply
2 - 3 drops topically to the area where the spasm is
occurring.
Oils to increase circulation:
· Citrus
Bliss, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, lemon, or peppermint
· Apply
2 -3 drops topically to the spinal area 2 -3 times per day
Oils to heal and regenerate tissue:
· Frankincense,
helichrysum, or sandalwood
· Apply
1 -2 drops topically to the spinal area 2 -3 times per day
followed by a hot compress
Also consider:
· Baths
with oils will help relaxation
· Diffusion
of Citrus Bliss, lavender, or other relaxing oils at bed
time will help
For Bone Spurs:
see Bone Spurs
For Broken Bones:
See Broken Bones
Experiences and Testimonials of others
Submissions directly to
EverythingEssential.me.
Our thanks to:
Debbie Huckstep
dhuckstep@comcast.net
Debbie - My sweet daughter rags on me
quite a bit because I"m always sharing some kind of
testimony about the oils - she loves to roll her eyes
because these oils “just can’t POSSIBLY do all the things I
say they are doing!” She injured her back today and came to
me quite nervous that she was really in trouble. She
actually wanted me to use the oils on her. We only had
a quick minute so I didn’t have time to do the complete
AromaTouch Technique so
I just grabbed the strongest oil I felt I had for her
problem. This was birch. I quickly put a few
drops on her lower back where the pain was so intense.
In less than five minutes she came to me, biting her tongue
I know, and told me the pain was gone!
Debbie - My brother -in -law was flat in
bed for three solid weeks with a back injury. He is 52 years
old. His wife was so scared, she enrolled in nursing
school worrying that he could possibly be disabled.
He called me desperate. I sent Balance, lemongrass,
and peppermint. He could not afford much. His
wife was debilitated with hot flashes. They were so
bad she didn’t even want to go to church and she is
president of a church organization and needs to be there! I
also sent clary sage for her. They called me within
one day after having received and used the oils. They
were all but in tears. My brother -in -law was out of
bed, working and lifting. Her hot flashes were
completely gone after one day's use.
Pat -
AromaTouch Technique. You do the technique using the
oils exactly in the order as given. Balance, Oregano, Thyme,
Basil, Wintergreen, Marjoram, Cypress, and Peppermint.
Just a drop or two of each. It should be done before
bedtime when the ailing person is relaxed and ready for bed.
In the morning when they gets up you will rub helichrysum on
the specific area of the back that is bothering them.
AFTER EACH MASSAGE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DRINK A LOT OF
WATER. This enables the toxins that were released during the
massage to be flushed from the body .
Pat - Back Pain Formula: White Fir and Frankincense
applied topically. Specifically on the arch of the foot, and
the back of the foot.
Rex - An experience with back pain.
Mid April of this year, out of nowhere, I developed a severe
pain on the right back side near my shoulder blade.
Since we were about to travel from Arizona to Idaho I first
went to a chiropractor (very little relief), then to a
medical doctor. Both found no structural problem but
could see there were severe muscle spasms. The pain
was intense and continued. I was using cold compresses
and was sporadic with my oils use. The medical doctor
gave me pain meds that I tried off and on but they had their
usual bad side effects (out of it, sluggish and
constipated). Finally, after making it to Idaho, I
started getting serious about using oils. My wife
(after consulting with Robert James) did something similar
to the AromaTouch Technique
(the ATT had not yet been made public) on my spine a couple of times
the first day and then daily for about a week. This
helped the pain a lot. But without the oils, the pain
was still very intense and now included pain in my right arm
with numbness down to my fingers. By then we were in
Boise and I was seeing a chiropractor friend and also my
regular doctor. Both confirmed it was the 3rd or 4th
vertebrae area (I forget which) and was a protruding
(slipped) disc coupled with some arthritis putting pressure
on the nerves. The chiropractor recommended and the
doctor prescribed a 5 day regiment of Prednisone to get
ahead of the ongoing severe pain. I did this but also
continued the ATT. The chiropractor helped
with stretching and relaxing the muscles and also provided a
traction device that I could use at home.
At this point the pain was under control but still a 5 or
6 on a 10 point scale and the strength in my right hand/arm
was quite diminished (could not write well or zip my pants).
Further it wasn’t getting better any faster. So again
we reviewed the oils more seriously and decided on the
following regiment. Use AromaTouch and Deep Blue on
the areas of pain from the muscle spasms (shoulder blade
area and arm) and apply helichrysum (for tissue repair and
nerve damage) directly on
the disc and frankincense (for inflammation) directly on
the spinal column as well. A standard “treat both the
symptoms and the root cause” strategy. At first it was
three times a day on the AromaTouch and Deep Blue (4 or 5
drops each with a carrier) and morning with helichrysum (2
drops, no carrier) and evening with frankincense (2 drops,
no carrier). During this time I continued using the
traction device a couple of times a day. After a week
I continued the helichrysum and frankincense but only
applied Deep Blue once or twice a day with just 2 or 3 drops
directly on the spinal area (the spasms had gone away and
this helped with the remaining pain). Now after two
weeks of the well thought out strategy, I am 95% and have
almost all strength back in my arm and hand. I have
not used Deep Blue for a couple days but will continue the
helichrysum and frankincense for another week.
After a week I was pretty good and stopped using the
oils. A couple of weeks later I still had some
weakness in my arm and hand and restarted using the
helichrysum until all was normal in another 2 weeks.
Jan - What a great story. I have often
tried to teach people that oils work differently for
everyone. What may be something that works for you, may not
be the ideal protocol for others. Your story is a perfect
example. Your pain and discomfort was the motivator, Your
protocol, although based on advice from someone else, in the
end seemed to be a method that you refined to fit you based
on experience and intuition. That is the way it should be!
To get deeper, in my opinion... Your sub-conscience is all
knowing when it comes to your bodies needs, and when you can
access that information, you will know the exact oils you
need and how to use them! Than is where, intuition,
inspiration, higher power, whatever you choose to call it
comes in.
I am happy for your success, and hope it will be a
valuable education as you help others to trust and enjoy the
oils.
PS. Isn't it funny how when you have a medical issue,
and go to the doctor, he gives you a pill. Seems simple,
but they are only effective with the issue less than half
the time (statistically) and they come with side effects that
are often as bad or worse than the original problem. Some
doctors think nothing of prescribing extra medications that
work on symptoms of side effects!!
Unfortunately, its all about $$. And the doctors get a
kick back from big pharma for prescribing there pills, so
why not prescribe!! When you use God's gifts for
healing, it requires some effort, faith, hard work and
doesn't come suspended in a syrupy glob of high fructose
sugar and alcohol.
Tinas - My Dad has
bone spurs in his back, recently his back has gotten really
bad and he thinks a bone spur is pinching a nerve. He
lives in Canada and he can't get to the doctor and will have
to wait for surgery for a long time.
Pat - I would use the lemongrass
topically, along with Deep Blue and peppermint for the pain.
The lemongrass should dissolve the spurs, he needs to be
consistent!!
Editor's note:
April's experience with back pain.
April - My other son's kindergarten
teacher had a 4-wheeler accident where it fell on top of her
and she was in so much pain she thought she broke her back.
Her doctor said she tore a bunch of ligaments. I didn't find
out until about 3 days later, but when I did I put some Deep
Blue mixed with wintergreen on the right side of her back.
She told me she kept on thinking about how her back was
still hurting, and then sometime during the night she woke
up and realized it wasn't her right side that was hurting,
but the OTHER side...the side she was favoring! She is a
believer now too!
Ready, Set, Grow
