MemberMy Experience with Epsom Salts
Back pain is a very common condition that most people experience at some time in their life. Like many medical ailments it spans a vast range in severity. From the occasional twitch to a niggling ache or a strain in the back from participating in a certain activity. It can also be brought on by the simplest of things that many of us don't think about such as sitting, standing up or lying down awkwardly and then the unthinkable happens and we experience back pain. Fortunately, the human body is quite resilient, and these symptoms often go away by themselves without too much need for concern.
As one gets older, they may find back pain flares up occasionally and this is certainly true for me. There are a plethora of over-the-counter medications, creams and sprays to help ease the pain. I have my own particular blend of remedies that are not quite an elixir, but thankfully they have served me well over the years and haven't had to visit my GP complaining of back pain.
Some people are not so fortunate and suffer from persistent back pain that requires a more invasive approach in order to get some relief and improve their quality of life. This might involve doing daily exercises to strengthen the back to keep it supple allowing it to move more freely and to have good posture. Taking prescription medications is also an option or visiting a chiropractor or physiotherapist for back pain management. In more severe circumstances surgery may be needed requiring the skills of an orthopaedic physician.
For the last 4 months I have been recovering from persistent back pain that at times was very severe. If it were just isolated to my back, I believe coping with it would have been easier but the addition of sciatic nerve pain made my situation almost untenable to say the least. Anyone that has experienced sciatica will know whereof I speak but this has been my first encounter with it.
I was decorating the external wall of my chalet bungalow using a 12-inch-wide roller, attached to a long telescopic pole. In the process of manoeuvring the roller up, down and diagonally over a wide area of the wall, I felt a sudden sharp pain in my lower back that caused me to stop abruptly. After a few minutes the pain gradually spread into my gluteus muscles commonly known as the butt. It was something I hadn't experienced before and thought, it will soon pass but I was wrong, as it continued. Not wanting to tempt fate, with some difficulty I managed to gather up my tools to go inside.
By late evening the pain hadn't improved by much even though I had taken two Ibuprofen tablets earlier. Something strange and totally new to me was a burning sensation in my hip that was working its way down the back of my left leg where the sciatic nerve is located. It extends into the calf, ankle and foot and is the longest largest nerve in the human body. We have two; one in each leg.
Throughout the night the burning sensation intensified making for a very uncomfortable sleep. By morning it felt like someone had taken a red hot poker and pushed it deep into my thigh until it hit bone, my whole leg was aflame. Trying to walk was immensely difficult. The best I managed was limping across the floor putting most of my weight on my good right leg. At the same time taking special care not to aggravate the stabbing shooting pain going up and down my back and into my leg. I felt completely useless reaching out to the nearest thing for my hands to hold, so I wouldn't stumble and fall flat on my face.
My home became a sanctuary as the pain in my leg and back made it impossible to go out like I regularly do. Deciding to pull out all the stops in case I needed to contact my GP, I returned to my trusted self-help remedies that have often helped me in the past with back pain. Taking Ibuprofen, applying deep heat spray and cream to my back and leg. Using an electric heat pad for muscle aches and back pain. Since sciatica is related to back pain but was something new to me, I thought it best to acquire more knowledge about it.
Over the next few days, I read a lot of information online and learned that the sciatic nerve is a combination of 5 nerves that branch out from the lower spine to form one. At this point it's approximately 1 cm wide. It runs through the hip, buttocks and down the legs and controls movement and sensations in these limbs and the foot. Many things can cause it to become irritated and painful. One of the most common is a slipped disc or herniated disc. A rupture of the disc can occur between the bones of the spine causing it to protrude and pinch the nerves. Pain is often felt in the back, buttocks and legs.
Many of the treatments for sciatica are the same for lower back pain because this is where the source of the problem stems from. Therefore, I continued using my treatments with the hope this would suffice. It can take a month or longer to see sustained improvement. Like back pain, sciatica can become an ongoing problem requiring prescription medication to help manage the condition. It began to dawn on me, the unrelenting burning sensation from the top of my hip travelling all the way down deep into the bone of my left leg, could be something far more serious than I originally thought. The fact that I have an underlying back problem that has been managed with self-help for a number of years, and hasn't caused me too many problems until now, reinforced my concerns.
After 5 days resting at home the back pain improved making me feel confident about the future. I was continuing with self-help treatments. The sciatica was an entirely different matter. When sitting the pain eased and would go away completely. Standing or attempting to walk was much more difficult, as the burning sensation throughout the whole leg returned and was excruciatingly painful!
The back had made considerable improvement after 2 weeks, but the sciatica had not. I read that gentle exercise such as walking can help recovery, but this was proving to be incredibly difficult and frustrating. Walking outside was limited to no more than 5- or 10-minute intervals then having to stop, lean up against a wall or sit on a roadside bench to rest my aching burning leg. At times I felt totally exhausted with the amount of effort it took to simply walk. This continued for quite some time and serious doubts as to whether I'll be able to walk properly again began to worry me.
I am an optimist and believe this helped me cope when my tinnitus increased and changed to variable tinnitus in 2008. It took 4 years to habituate for the second time. I had many low points but always managed to find the inner strength and resolve to carry on and not let doubts or negative thinking overwhelm me. I made the decision to see my GP but before doing that, I wanted to have one last try at self-help, so joined 3 back-pain and sciatica forums on the Internet with the hope someone might be able to give me advice.
Joining those groups was a mistake because I was constantly told there is no cure for sciatica. Doctors don't know anything about it and medications have side effects that make a person feel worse. It was pure doom and gloom, which I perceive as a defeatist mentally and a path I refuse to go down.
YouTube was my last resort and am pleased that I went there. I found plenty of useful information on back pain and sciatica. Doctors, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals often recommend a patient have an Epsom salt bath for back pain and sciatica. Epsom salt is Magnesium sulphate, when person has a bath in it, the Magnesium is absorbed through the skin and is said to promote healing for many health conditions: easing muscle and joint pain, treating skin irritations and can help treat colds and flu. It helps to remove toxins from the body, reduces stress and relaxes the body for better sleep. Some gardeners mix it with soil for plants. Some people take an Epsom salt bath to assist weight loss. It would seem having an Epsom salt bath, can be used to help almost any medical ailment. I wouldn't say that is a panacea but having used it for some time now I am pleased with the results.
All that is required is 2 cups of Epsom salts dissolved a bath of warm to hot water. It is recommended to soak for a least 12 minutes. I believe 30 to 40 minutes is better. There has been a significant reduction in my sciatica pain, to the point that I no longer need to take pain killers. I have returned to walking daily without the need to stop because of pain in my back or leg. I am usually able to sleep throughout the night until morning without being disturbed by my tinnitus. However, the quality of my sleep has improved considerably, and I feel a lot calmer.
Tinnitus
I have fully habituated to tinnitus and only take 2x 0.5 mg Clonazepam tablets, once or twice a month for one or two days, then stop. After two weeks of taking Epsom salt baths, I noticed my tinnitus had reduced further. I recall having to listen for it because it felt so strange not hearing it for long periods of time. I have only taken Clonazepam once in 3 months.
Twenty-six years ago, my ENT doctor told me that he advises all this tinnitus patients to take Magnesium tablets. He said it helps to calm the nerves in the auditory system. A Herbalist I saw who knew a lot about noise induced tinnitus, advised me to take Magnesium tablets for tinnitus. There is plenty of information online about the benefits of Epsom salt.
This post is intended for information purposes only. Please do not consider anything that I have written to be professional medical advice. If you need help with your back, sciatica or tinnitus always talk with your healthcare provider.
Michael
Back pain is a very common condition that most people experience at some time in their life. Like many medical ailments it spans a vast range in severity. From the occasional twitch to a niggling ache or a strain in the back from participating in a certain activity. It can also be brought on by the simplest of things that many of us don't think about such as sitting, standing up or lying down awkwardly and then the unthinkable happens and we experience back pain. Fortunately, the human body is quite resilient, and these symptoms often go away by themselves without too much need for concern.
As one gets older, they may find back pain flares up occasionally and this is certainly true for me. There are a plethora of over-the-counter medications, creams and sprays to help ease the pain. I have my own particular blend of remedies that are not quite an elixir, but thankfully they have served me well over the years and haven't had to visit my GP complaining of back pain.
Some people are not so fortunate and suffer from persistent back pain that requires a more invasive approach in order to get some relief and improve their quality of life. This might involve doing daily exercises to strengthen the back to keep it supple allowing it to move more freely and to have good posture. Taking prescription medications is also an option or visiting a chiropractor or physiotherapist for back pain management. In more severe circumstances surgery may be needed requiring the skills of an orthopaedic physician.
For the last 4 months I have been recovering from persistent back pain that at times was very severe. If it were just isolated to my back, I believe coping with it would have been easier but the addition of sciatic nerve pain made my situation almost untenable to say the least. Anyone that has experienced sciatica will know whereof I speak but this has been my first encounter with it.
I was decorating the external wall of my chalet bungalow using a 12-inch-wide roller, attached to a long telescopic pole. In the process of manoeuvring the roller up, down and diagonally over a wide area of the wall, I felt a sudden sharp pain in my lower back that caused me to stop abruptly. After a few minutes the pain gradually spread into my gluteus muscles commonly known as the butt. It was something I hadn't experienced before and thought, it will soon pass but I was wrong, as it continued. Not wanting to tempt fate, with some difficulty I managed to gather up my tools to go inside.
By late evening the pain hadn't improved by much even though I had taken two Ibuprofen tablets earlier. Something strange and totally new to me was a burning sensation in my hip that was working its way down the back of my left leg where the sciatic nerve is located. It extends into the calf, ankle and foot and is the longest largest nerve in the human body. We have two; one in each leg.
Throughout the night the burning sensation intensified making for a very uncomfortable sleep. By morning it felt like someone had taken a red hot poker and pushed it deep into my thigh until it hit bone, my whole leg was aflame. Trying to walk was immensely difficult. The best I managed was limping across the floor putting most of my weight on my good right leg. At the same time taking special care not to aggravate the stabbing shooting pain going up and down my back and into my leg. I felt completely useless reaching out to the nearest thing for my hands to hold, so I wouldn't stumble and fall flat on my face.
My home became a sanctuary as the pain in my leg and back made it impossible to go out like I regularly do. Deciding to pull out all the stops in case I needed to contact my GP, I returned to my trusted self-help remedies that have often helped me in the past with back pain. Taking Ibuprofen, applying deep heat spray and cream to my back and leg. Using an electric heat pad for muscle aches and back pain. Since sciatica is related to back pain but was something new to me, I thought it best to acquire more knowledge about it.
Over the next few days, I read a lot of information online and learned that the sciatic nerve is a combination of 5 nerves that branch out from the lower spine to form one. At this point it's approximately 1 cm wide. It runs through the hip, buttocks and down the legs and controls movement and sensations in these limbs and the foot. Many things can cause it to become irritated and painful. One of the most common is a slipped disc or herniated disc. A rupture of the disc can occur between the bones of the spine causing it to protrude and pinch the nerves. Pain is often felt in the back, buttocks and legs.
Many of the treatments for sciatica are the same for lower back pain because this is where the source of the problem stems from. Therefore, I continued using my treatments with the hope this would suffice. It can take a month or longer to see sustained improvement. Like back pain, sciatica can become an ongoing problem requiring prescription medication to help manage the condition. It began to dawn on me, the unrelenting burning sensation from the top of my hip travelling all the way down deep into the bone of my left leg, could be something far more serious than I originally thought. The fact that I have an underlying back problem that has been managed with self-help for a number of years, and hasn't caused me too many problems until now, reinforced my concerns.
After 5 days resting at home the back pain improved making me feel confident about the future. I was continuing with self-help treatments. The sciatica was an entirely different matter. When sitting the pain eased and would go away completely. Standing or attempting to walk was much more difficult, as the burning sensation throughout the whole leg returned and was excruciatingly painful!
The back had made considerable improvement after 2 weeks, but the sciatica had not. I read that gentle exercise such as walking can help recovery, but this was proving to be incredibly difficult and frustrating. Walking outside was limited to no more than 5- or 10-minute intervals then having to stop, lean up against a wall or sit on a roadside bench to rest my aching burning leg. At times I felt totally exhausted with the amount of effort it took to simply walk. This continued for quite some time and serious doubts as to whether I'll be able to walk properly again began to worry me.
I am an optimist and believe this helped me cope when my tinnitus increased and changed to variable tinnitus in 2008. It took 4 years to habituate for the second time. I had many low points but always managed to find the inner strength and resolve to carry on and not let doubts or negative thinking overwhelm me. I made the decision to see my GP but before doing that, I wanted to have one last try at self-help, so joined 3 back-pain and sciatica forums on the Internet with the hope someone might be able to give me advice.
Joining those groups was a mistake because I was constantly told there is no cure for sciatica. Doctors don't know anything about it and medications have side effects that make a person feel worse. It was pure doom and gloom, which I perceive as a defeatist mentally and a path I refuse to go down.
YouTube was my last resort and am pleased that I went there. I found plenty of useful information on back pain and sciatica. Doctors, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals often recommend a patient have an Epsom salt bath for back pain and sciatica. Epsom salt is Magnesium sulphate, when person has a bath in it, the Magnesium is absorbed through the skin and is said to promote healing for many health conditions: easing muscle and joint pain, treating skin irritations and can help treat colds and flu. It helps to remove toxins from the body, reduces stress and relaxes the body for better sleep. Some gardeners mix it with soil for plants. Some people take an Epsom salt bath to assist weight loss. It would seem having an Epsom salt bath, can be used to help almost any medical ailment. I wouldn't say that is a panacea but having used it for some time now I am pleased with the results.
All that is required is 2 cups of Epsom salts dissolved a bath of warm to hot water. It is recommended to soak for a least 12 minutes. I believe 30 to 40 minutes is better. There has been a significant reduction in my sciatica pain, to the point that I no longer need to take pain killers. I have returned to walking daily without the need to stop because of pain in my back or leg. I am usually able to sleep throughout the night until morning without being disturbed by my tinnitus. However, the quality of my sleep has improved considerably, and I feel a lot calmer.
Tinnitus
I have fully habituated to tinnitus and only take 2x 0.5 mg Clonazepam tablets, once or twice a month for one or two days, then stop. After two weeks of taking Epsom salt baths, I noticed my tinnitus had reduced further. I recall having to listen for it because it felt so strange not hearing it for long periods of time. I have only taken Clonazepam once in 3 months.
Twenty-six years ago, my ENT doctor told me that he advises all this tinnitus patients to take Magnesium tablets. He said it helps to calm the nerves in the auditory system. A Herbalist I saw who knew a lot about noise induced tinnitus, advised me to take Magnesium tablets for tinnitus. There is plenty of information online about the benefits of Epsom salt.
This post is intended for information purposes only. Please do not consider anything that I have written to be professional medical advice. If you need help with your back, sciatica or tinnitus always talk with your healthcare provider.
Michael
