Overeating and stress can also cause back pain

In the past, back pain was a disease that mainly occurred in the elderly. However, these days, patients who visit hospitals with back pain range in age from teenagers to the elderly. Back pain is one of the greatest afflictions suffered by modern man, and it is an inevitable disease that arose because humans, unlike other animals, evolved to stand and move on two feet.

It is the second most common reason for absence from work for patients under 55 years of age, following the common cold, and is frequently seen in office workers who spend a lot of time sitting at a chair, housewives who stand in front of the sink for long periods to do housework, rural residents who mainly stand or bend over to work in the fields, and workers who always move heavy objects. According to statistics, about 4% of patients with back pain become incapacitated in the long term, which not only causes personal inconvenience but also causes significant national losses.

There are countless causes of back pain, but Dongui Bogam* classifies them into 10 categories and explains them. Kidney (신장, 腎臟) deficiency back pain caused by excessive sexual activity damaging the kidneys and preventing proper blood (정혈, 精血) supply to the back muscles (신허요통,腎虛腰痛); gallstone back pain caused by body waste flowing (담, 痰) along the meridians to the lower back, sides, and other parts of the back, causing pain (담음요통, 痰飮腰痛); sciatica caused by suddenly being unable to use the lower back after lifting a heavy object or falling from a high place (좌섬요통, 挫閃腰痛); blood stasis back pain caused by blood that has leaked into the body after falling or falling from a high place and is not properly absorbed (어혈요통, 瘀血腰痛); and cold-heat back pain caused by cold energy blocking the circulation of qi and blood (한요통, 寒腰痛), making it impossible to use the lower back properly.

Especially these days, back pain caused by overeating or indigestion is common (식적요통, 食積腰痛), and there are many cases where back pain occurs due to extreme stress caused by not being able to satisfy one's desires, which reduces one's energy (기요통, 氣腰痛). If the cause of this back pain is not properly identified and only physical therapy is performed, the back pain may not be treated and may become chronic.

Therefore, if you have back pain, you must first accurately diagnose the cause. After identifying the cause, you can treat it by inserting acupuncture or moxibustion into the meridians of the corresponding organ, and you can restore balance by supplementing the weakened organ and releasing the strengthened organ. In some cases, cupping therapy is used to create negative pressure and disperse stagnant energy.

There are also ways to relieve back pain at home. Drinking  Eucommia Ulmoides Oliver tea (두충차, 杜冲茶)  is effective for back pain caused by weak kidneys. If you have a back injury, it may help to find a centipede, remove its poisonous legs and head, boil the chicken, mix it with alcohol, and drink it.

As the name suggests, Dipsacus Asperoides (속단 aka 조소, Xu Duan, 續斷) is a medicinal herb that is meant to reattach broken bones. It treats diseases that weaken bones, such as fractures and osteoporosis, and plays a role in strengthening bones.

It is also good to boil this Dipsacus Asperoides (Xu Duan) and drink 6g 30 minutes before a meal. When you have muscle pain, it is good to drink Quince Tea (모과차, 木瓜茶). Quince (모과, Mu Gua, 木瓜) calms muscles and has an analgesic effect, so they are effective for back pain or muscle pain. Ginger and green onion roots have warm properties, so they eliminate coldness in the body and promote blood circulation, so they very effective when your back is cold and sore.

Sometimes, just sitting with the right posture can help relieve back pain. When sitting on a chair, it is best to sit with your back straight or slightly bent in an oval shape. High chairs are bad for your back, and chairs without backrests are bad because they do not distribute the weight on your back.

When sitting, the height of the chair should be slightly higher than the knees, and the backrest should be tilted back about 10 degrees. In the case of a right-angled chair, it is not good to place a cushion behind the lower back and sit so that there is empty space behind the chair. It is better to sit close to the desk, as placing the chair too far from the desk can cause the back to bend, and it is better to avoid soft chairs or sofas.

The waist is a structure that supports the center of the human body. Of course, the waist is a mechanical structure, but it can change depending on thoughts or mental states. Excessive greed stimulates the meridian of the heart and puts pressure on the corresponding spinal area. If the large intestine is not comfortable, the waist also becomes stiff. Since the right posture comes from the right thoughts, half of the waist diseases can be cured with the right thoughts alone.

*Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS). (n.d.). What is the dongui bogam? : Korea.net : The Official Website of the Republic of Korea. Korea.net. https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Sci-Tech/view?articleId=119136

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