Backache
Most of people will suffer backache at sometime in their life. In severe cases it can affect one’s normal life and working capacity. TCM is one of the most effective ways to tackle the problem.
In terms of TCM, a pain is due to the non-free flow of Qi and/or blood. When the Qi and blood flow freely, there is no pain. Therefore, it is essential to keep our Qi and blood full and moving freely for optimal health and well-being and especially for being pain free. Backache is related to the kidney channel. In clinical terms, backache can be caused by wind, cold, damp, heat, blood stasis, injury, pregnancy, labour, over-work, or overactive sexual activity, resulting kidney deficiency. TCM doctors usually use herbs and acupuncture to tonify and regulate the kidney and strengthen the back. There are three basic types of the backache. 1) External Causes of Backache Qi and blood flow can be affected by invasion of energies from the external environment (wind, cold, dampness, heat). Main symptoms: Pain due to wind comes and goes, moves around body. The pain is sharp and severe in a fixed location, eases with warmth (cold). The pain due to dampness is heavy and sore. The pain due to heat involves redness, swelling, and hot sensations, especially of the joints.	Treatment principle: Clear away cold and heat, expel the wind and dampness. 2) Internal causes Kidney deficiency is this cause due to over-work, excessive sex, pregnancy, etc. Main symptoms: Weakness in the knees and legs, if one lies down feels better and easily recurring, feels cold, has lower abdominal pain, pale hot flushes, rapid and weak pulse. Treatment principle: Tonify the kidney with herbs, soothe the kidney channel with acupuncture and moxibustion. 3) Traumatic injury Traumatic injury results in damage and even severance of the channels and network vessels. Treatment: repair and tonify damaged channels and muscles with herbs and acupuncture. Main herbal products for internal use are: XIN GUANG PIAN, GUI PI WAN, ZHI BAI DI HUANG WAN, ZHUANG GU GUAN JIE WAN depending on causes of backpains. For external uses: HUANG DAO YI WOOD LOCK OIL, HONG HUANG OIL, HUO XUE ZHUANG GU PLASTERS