Spine as we all understand is the backbone (literally) and supports our entire skeleton system for us to be upright and conduct our activities physically.

Our spine consists of spinal cord, spinal bones called as vertebrae, attached ligaments & inter-vertebral discs to stitch them together along the nerves which emerge from the brain through the spinal cord and enervating all the organs for their optimal functioning.

Some of the commonest health issues or disease we come across with the spine and spinal cord are low back pain, neck pain, cervical spondylitis, lumbar spondylosis, auto-immune diseases like ankylosing spondylitis, disc bulge, disc prolapse, degenerative disc disease, osteo-arthritic changes in the vertebrae (backbone), sciatica, inflammatory and infective arthritis, and several others.

How do we deal with it, if we are already suffering from these or how to prevent these diseases if we are not yet got into these diseases? Is there a natural way to prevent and treat these if already suffering? Yes, it can be prevented and treated effectively when we detect it early and address with the right therapies.

First, let’s understand how to prevent these conditions not to develop. Isn’t it important for us to stick to the proverb “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”? If yes, oh no! Yes, it is…...

Then, these are some of the important aspects we need to address in our daily routine for prevention of spinal diseases.

• Adequate exercise is first most important aspect. Our spine is designed for movement and not for sedentary life!! A right kind of exercise, be it, yoga, swimming, cycling, or running is most important to be part of your life. A regular exercise shall help in maintenance of the strength and flexibility of the ligaments, joints, musculature, and connective tissues of our back. We need to choose that kind of exercise which is sustainable on a long term basis to gain the health of the spine…..
• Secondly, we need to keep focus on our posture whether we are in sedentary job or physically active job or even if there is lots of travelling through the day as per our job. A right posture based on your job shall prevent any undue pressures or strain on our spine and its structures. This shall on a long term, prevent degenerative diseases and inflammatory conditions as well.

• Thirdly, humans are designed for movement and not to be sedentary!! Right? But unfortunately, the whole world is moving towards sedentary lifestyle more so in urban societies!! So, it is very important to follow a principle that you do not sit in a particular posture for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. For every 30 minutes, kindly move out of your posture, walk, or stretch your body to remove any kind of stagnation and strain to our spine.
• The next important aspect shall be adequate hydration. Drink adequate fluids, of them let it be pure water taking the major chunk of your fluid intake. That shall help us to have adequate fluids in our joints and musculature for their optimal functioning.
• One of the most important aspect shall be to expose ourselves to sufficient sunlight every day. This shall help us to maintain the Vit D levels in our system which can prevent inflammation, maintain bone health and several other aspects of our health. I would recommend at least 30 – 45 minutes of sun exposure every day.

• The next most important aspect is that of holistic nutrition. Eating right kinds of foods in terms of seasons, geography, at right times in the day and not over-eating is very important to maintain our spinal health. Also make sure that you are preventing any kind of food habits which contributes to gastritis and constipation which are one of the important contributing factors for spinal health.

• At the same time, I would also recommend a regular oil massage to our spine and back for optimal spinal health. Therapeutic and professional oil massage shall work on relaxing, strengthening and nourishing the spinal structures. Kindly approach a qualified and experienced masseur/masseuse for professional service.
• The last but not the least, kindly choose that furniture which suits best for your spine including the chairs we sit and mattresses we chose. The important aspect to be kept in mind is that the furniture should aid our spine as a good support to maintain its natural curvature in whichever activity you are in.

Now, that we addressed several aspects of preventive care for the spine; how do we address those spinal ailments which have already creeped into us?

There are several holistic therapies which can address these spinal ailments. But we need to remember that; if there are irreversible changes either degenerative or inflammatory there could be the need for surgery or modern medicine help required to manage those ailments.

At the same time, holistic therapies shall also help manage spinal ailments when addressed early to reverse and manage the ailment as well. Some of the therapies could be as follows –

• Yoga therapy – One of the most relevant therapies which addresses the spinal health and all it’s structures holistically at physical, meta-physical, mental aspects of health.

• Acupuncture therapy – One of the most accepted therapies for pain and inflammatory ailments of spine by its anti-inflammatory actions. It shall also help in improving the blood and lymph circulation along with bringing about changes in the neurochemicals for healing.

• Massage therapy & Acupressure therapy – Shall address several spinal ailments to recover through its anti-inflammatory actions. At the same time relieves the stagnation of lymph & blood which are the contributing factors for several spine related ailments.

• Naturopathic therapies including chromotherapy, magnetotherapy and several others shall also bring about a state of homeostasis of our spinal health.

I am sure the above information shall give an good outlook of how to maintain our spinal health and prevention of its diseases.

Dr. Gurudatta H K, BNYS, FCRSW, Founder, Anandamaya Wellness Center