As a holistic chiropractor, I knew my ruptured disc was an opportunity to use
what I know about natural healing.
I wouldn’t wish that type of pain on anyone.
I recently ruptured a disc in my low back. At first the pain was so great I had to use traditional drugs. They were extremely helpful at the time. Within a week I switched to herbs and nutrition and holistic treatments for pain relief and healing. Within two weeks I was back to work pain free, off drugs. Why was this so great? The last time it happened--15 years ago, without the natural remedies it took me 8 months to get the same results. Here's the story. On the 4th of July weekend (2008) I spent about 4 hours a day, for 3 days in our garage lifting and moving boxes, exercise equipment, etc. A couple of days later I ended up in the Emergency Room at about 1 AM with intense pain radiating into my left leg. I knew that I had ruptured a disc in my low back. I got immediate relief through drugs—an injection of Dilaudid and a prescription for Oxycodone (narcotics for pain relief). I spent the next two days in a drug haze, relatively pain free, as long as I stayed in bed.
MRI Scan reveals huge disc rupture.
Back to the hospital two days later, I was examined and given an injection of prednisone (anti-inflammatory). The MRI scan showed a huge disc herniation in my low back, pressing on a nerve going into my left leg. You can see my actual MRI scan to the left. It shows two degenerated discs in my extreme low back. I was given a pair of crutches so I could walk better. My Oxycodone prescription was refilled and I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon.
Surgeon says “No surgery”.
Three days later (after lying in bed all weekend) I consulted the orthopedic surgeon. At the time, I was still taking the Oxycodone and over-the-counter Naproxen (Alleve). These were giving me relief, but I still needed crutches to walk. The neurological exam showed an absent neurological reflex (pressure on the nerve). A good sign was that I didn't have much leg weakness and I was only experiencing a little bit of numbness. We reviewed the MRI scan together. He showed me the herniated disc pressing on the nerve in my low back. He said (as I knew) that disc herniations are reabsorbed by the body 95% of the time. He recommended no surgery. He gave me another prescription for Oxycodone. He also arranged for me to have an injection of cortisone (anti-inflammatory) directly into my spine. This would help reduce the inflammation and pain. It was now Monday, but the injection wasn't scheduled until Friday.
A message from the judge.
It's interesting how we sometimes get guidance. I was still at home, mostly on bed rest but sometimes up on crutches. One morning I turned on the television. I tuned into a court show. In front of the judge was a young lady in her mid 20's and a young man, also probably in his 20's. The young lady told the judge that the guy owed her money. She had given him some money in exchange for some discounted airplane tickets. He hadn't fulfilled his end of the bargain. And that by the way--she said--he had told her that he had an Oxycodone habit. My ears perked up. Sitting on the couch at that moment--I was on Oxycodone. And here's where the judge gave me some guidance. When the young lady mentioned that he had an Oxycodone habit the young man protested. He interrupted her to say that he had seen marijuana at her house, belonging to her boyfriend. The judge exploded. He let the young man have it. “So that makes your Oxycodone use okay, does it? Do you know what Oxycodone is? It’s a narcotic. Do you know how much damage that does to your body?” That’s all I needed to hear. I turned off the television. It was time for me to get off of the Oxycodone. I needed to start applying what I knew about natural pain relief and healing. Over the next three days I began a regimen of natural anti-inflammatory supplements, cold laser and mind-body healing (Release Technique). I got off the Oxycodone the first day. I continued with naproxen, lowering the dose each day until I was off it completely in five days.
I cancel the cortisone injection.
By the time Friday came I was feeling so good I cancelled the scheduled cortisone injection into my spine. I started working half days at the end of the same week that I had the surgical consult. Now as I write, it's one month after the initial Emergency Room visit, I continue to use only natural remedies.
Was it really a "natural" cure?
I look back at my recent experience and ask "How much did my natural remedies and treatments really help?" Fifteen years ago I suffered the same intensity of pain in the same leg. It was from a partial rupture of the same disc. Then too, I ended up in the Emergency Room. I had an MRI scan which showed a ruptured disc. I had a surgical consult. The surgeon was great (as was the recent surgeon). He suggested that I do what I knew how to do. If I wasn’t better in six months, then come back. But then I didn’t know what I know now. I didn’t use herbal pain remedies, or the cold laser, or the mind-body healing technique. I continued to take a high dose of NSAID’s (naproxen) for five months. I began swimming about five days a week. The swimming helped immensely. But I only recovered slowly. This time I was 75% better in two weeks and 90% better in a month. Last time it took six to eight months to get back to 80% better. This comparison with my previous experience helped me to really appreciate how quickly I had healed my low back this time. And how I had saved myself a lot of suffering.
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