Category: LUMBER PAIN

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STEROID INJECTIONS AND HOW THEY COULD AFFECT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM…

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Your immune system is a very important part of your health especially during this Covid-19 Pandemic. At this time of year many of us are having our flu vaccines but it can take up to 14 days for the immune system to mount an immune response so your are not immune to the flu the minute you have the injection.

They talk about supplements in the winter to improve your immune system as while a healthy diet containing an abundance of nutrients can help fend off illness, there is also a number of supplements that will boost your immunity and keep you fit. These include Vitamin C, and D, Zinc, Pelargonium (herbal remedy for bronchitis, Echinacea, Elderberry, Black Garlic, Iron and Omega 3’s but none of these should be taken until you have checked with your GP first.

But, what about our immune system and Covid-19? Well, according to the British Nutrition Foundation and written in Woman & Home, there is no individual food or supplement that will stop us contracting highly infectious viruses such as Covid-19, but it is important to make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals to support your immune system. The NHS recommends taking vitamin D supplements if you are self-isolating or spending the majority of your time indoors.

And, what about steroid injections and the immune system? Well, as some of my readers will have read I have been suffering lately with awful low back and hip pain and after an MRI showed arthritis in my sacroiliac joints as well as in multi levels of my low back I was offered a steroid injection to help with the pain.

Before signing the consent form I was briefly informed that having this injection could ‘suppress my immune system’. On the site Ultrasound Guided Injections, which is what I had states that ‘since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, we are making patients aware of the specific implications to be considered in relation to corticosteroid injections and COVID-19’.

It goes on to explain in full about why you should really think about having a steroid injection or not.

Corticosteroids are an immuno-suppressant (they inhibit our immune system) which is one of the main ways in which they work and are clinically useful – they are powerful anti-inflammatory medication (they reduce inflammation and swelling) and therefore pain. However this means corticosteroids will also have a inhibitory impact on our general immune system and our ability to fight infections.

The immuno-suppressant effect to believed to last up to several weeks after the injection although this is believed to vary from person to person (Hackett et al 2020).  Although there is a lack of clear evidence to act as guidance on this matter in terms of the exact size of increase in risk there might be.

It is important that any patients considering a corticosteroid injection are aware of the fact that corticosteroids could theoretically i) increase the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 due to its immuno-suppressant effect ii) inhibit their body’s ability to fight the COVID-19 virus if contracted and iii) could potentially make the patients more contagious to people around them, following a corticosteroid injection. One study published in 2018 showed patients who had received a corticosteroid injection were more likely to develop seasonal flu. Because the size of risk is unknown it is recommended that patients and clinicians should reach a shared decision (Morgan and Dattani 2020)  on a case by case basis weighing up the risks and benefits of proceeding with steroid injection treatment (Amani et al 2020)

Now had I read this or realised this I probably would not have had the injection until Covid-19 is out of the way but I didn’t really understand this much about it until I came home and looked on the internet. I actually have another one booked into the other sacroiliac joint next week but I have already decided to cancel this injection. It’s actually not totally because of what I have read about but also because I don’t feel it’s been as successful as I had hoped and so why have another one unless it works for your problem.

I do take a few supplements and I am on a very high dose of Vitamin D for my Osteopenia but with this disease spreading so quickly throughout the world at the moment you would think that any treatments that suppress your immune system should not be used at the moment unless its a medical emergency.

I think if you follow these 8 steps from Web MD it will definitely help to keep your immune system up to scratch.

  1. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  2. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
  3. Get enough sleep.
  4. Wash your hands.
  5. Keep up with your vaccinations. Almost everyone who’s at least 6 months old should get a flu vaccine every year.
  6. Keep your weight healthy.
  7. Don’t drink too much alcohol.
  8. Don’t smoke.

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WHAT IS AYURVEDA HEALING AND HOW CAN IT HELP WITH HEALING?…

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Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.” It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible. The principles of many of the natural healing systems now familiar in the West have their roots in Ayurveda, including Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy.

Ayurveda focuses on the power of the mind to heal the body using herbal treatment, diet and yogic breathing. Practitioners focus on understanding the unique physiological processes, the environmental inputs, and the genetic predisposition that influence every person’s experience of health and disease. Ayurveda identifies three basic types of energy or functional principles that are present in everyone and everything. Since there are no single words in English that convey these concepts, we use the original Sanskrit words vata, pitta and kapha. These principles can be related to the basic biology of the body.

The College of Ayurveda (UK) is accredited by the British Complementary Medicine Association and mixes home-schooling as well as classroom education and one-to-one tutor guidance to help students learn around their lifestyle. It teaches everything from achieving the best nutritional balance to the optimal physical, meatal and emotional balances through the depth of the body and aura.

Ayurveda understands that we feel differently from season to season, and that our bodies and minds react one way to summer’s heat and brightness, and react another way to winter’s cold weather. We are also more prone to illnesses or discomforts at different times of the year and we crave different foods also at different times of the year. Not living in tune with the seasons can unbalance us. Chinese medicine, acupuncture, breath work and aromatherapy are a complement to the holistic science of Ayurveda.

It says you should always choose seasonal nutrition for the right balance and improve your wellbeing with essential oils and finally to breathe right.

Practicing mindful breathing will make you feel relaxed and energized and is one of the most common and important techniques for being able to meditate. A brilliant book on the subject is ‘Ayurveda for Modern Life‘, by Emine Rushton.

Health expert and sceptic Eminé Kali Rushton was converted to an Ayurvedic approach during pregnancy, when she discovered how eating and living according to the ancient Indian principles of Ayurveda rebalances the body for the better. Ayurveda teaches that we each have a dosha a basic body type that defines our personality and physical wellbeing, from the foods we crave to those that spark allergies and increase weight gain. This book is the first to decode this 5,000-year-old science of wellbeing specifically for busy, modern lives. It shows just how simple and practical a body-balancing seasonal lifestyle can be, helping you beat stress, lose weight and feel energised and positive every day.

After determining your dosha type, it teaches how to eat for your own dosha, to promote speedy and sustainable weight loss and make your body feel light, vital, energized and beautiful again. There is a simple 3-day diet plan and 30 seasonal recipes using supermarket ingredients. Includes expert advice from leading nutritionist Eve Kalinik, seasonality expert Annee de Mamiel and the founder of The Organic Pharmacy, Margo Marrone.

Health expert Claire Paphitis who is a qualified ayurvedic consultant wrote in Natural Health Magazine that comfort and warmth is the name of the ayurvedic game this autumn so you need to prep your bodies for the cooler months ahead.

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HOW TO RELAX AND BEAT OFF STRESS THE NATURAL WAY…

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The Japanese who live no where near any countryside just find a wood and use a technique called ‘shining-yoko’, also known as ‘forest bathing’ to help them relax and beat off stress the natural way.

It involves spending time in the woods and the idea is to let nature enter through all five senses. The practice is said to help lower your blood pressure, fight depression and beat stress.

The Guardian writes ‘ it is believed that time spent under the green canopy is critical in fighting a number of diseases and conditions’. Some Japanese spend a regular few day’s in the forest and Forestry England Forest bathing, which despite its name does not involve water. Forestry England have some top tips and activities to get you going, which include,

  • Turn off your devices to give yourself the best chance of relaxing, being mindful and enjoying a sensory forest-based experience.
  • Slow down. Move through the forest slowly so you can see and feel more.
  • Take long breaths deep into the abdomen. Extending the exhalation of air to twice the length of the inhalation sends a message to the body that it can relax.
  • Stop, stand or sit, smell what’s around you, what can you smell?
  • Take in your surroundings using all of your senses. How does the forest environment make you feel? Be observant, look at nature’s small details.
  • Sit quietly using mindful observation; try to avoid thinking about your to-do list or issues related to daily life. You might be surprised by the number of wild forest inhabitants you see using this process.
  • Keep your eyes open. The colours of nature are soothing and studies have shown that people relax best while seeing greens and blues.
  • Stay as long as you can, start with a comfortable time limit and build up to the recommended two hours for a complete forest bathing experience.

They want you to let us know how you get along!

The NHS have a ‘social prescribing’ list which includes volunteering, sports activities, and gardening as a way to feel better. Forest bathing is a chance for people to take time out, slow down and connect with nature. They describe ‘social prescribing’ works for a wide range of people, including people:

  • with one or more long-term conditions
  • who need support with their mental health
  • who are lonely or isolated
  • who have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year camping has become extremely popular. In fact my respective family and child have always camped but this year was their first one with my young (12 month) granddaughter. Every time they camped my daughter would say she would ‘go out like a light’ when put to bed.