The Yoga Back Book: The Gentle Yet Effective Way to Spinal Health. Stella Weller

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      Catching

      Try to avoid catching falling objects. Your muscles need time to contract sufficiently to protect spinal joints, ligaments and discs. If they have to contract suddenly, without ample warning, they may not be able to co-ordinate adequately and the force involved in catching may be enough to cause damage. You may also slip and fall.

      In Summary

      Whether you sit, stand or walk, lie down or get up, bend, reach, lift or carry, the key to good posture is maintaining the normal curves of the spine. Any position, gesture, action or movement that alters these curves has the potential to place strain on spinal structures, weaken them, produce discomfort or pain and make the back more vulnerable to injury.

      In order to maintain normal spinal curves you need to keep your back, abdominal and leg muscles in good tone and you need to guard against overweight. You also need to balance regular exercise with rest and relaxation.

      It is not only sedentary workers who require exercise. Even those whose occupations involve physical labour may be using certain muscles habitually to the neglect of others. Suitable exercises, done regularly, will help to stretch out shortened muscles which contribute to poor posture. Exercise will help to keep joints freely moving and less liable to be injured. Examples of such exercises are given throughout this book.

      Please remember to check with your doctor before practising these or any other exercises. Ask if they are suitable for you and compatible with treatment you may be receiving.

3 Diet for a Healthy Back

      To stay alive and to function optimally, all living tissue needs oxygen and nutrients. The circulation through which these vital substances are delivered to the tissues must also be healthy. If the blood supply is reduced because of muscle spasm or poor posture, for example, then the nutrition to the affected parts of the body will be diminished and their function will be impaired.

      It is essentially what we eat that provides the body with the raw materials for building and maintaining a healthy spine, spinal discs, muscles, connective tissues and other components of the system. Nutrients from an adequate, wholesome diet are processed by the digestive system and transported to all cells and tissues through the blood circulation.

      This chapter does not offer yet another fad diet. It simply highlights nutrients that are crucial to the structure and function of the spine and its attachments. It suggests sources from which to obtain these nutrients, and alerts you to substances that work against them. Although I have focused on only a few, it is well to remember that all nutrients work together and that no single one can be considered a panacea.

      If you are considering taking nutritional supplements, it would be prudent to consult a dietician, nutritionist or other qualified health professional first.

      Vitamins

      Vitamin A

      This fat-soluble vitamin has a scavenging effect on free radicals, substances that are by-products of protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. They are considered ‘mischievous molecules’ which play a part in ageing and in cancer development. As such, vitamin A is a highly protective nutrient.

      Vitamin A promotes the growth of strong bones and protects the lining of joints against inflammation. It also enhances the repair of bones and connective tissue.

      Vitamin A increases the permeability of blood capillaries (small blood vessels) which carry oxygen and other vital nutrients to the body’s cells. (Capillary permeability exists when the capillary wall allows blood to pass readily into cells and tissue spaces and vice versa. The more permeable the capillary walls are, the better is the supply of oxygen delivered to cells.)

      In addition, vitamin A, combined with vitamin E, promotes cell oxygenation, whereby cells are supplied with oxygen.

      The best sources of vitamin A include: fresh vegetables, especially intensely green and yellow ones such as broccoli, carrots, dandelion leaves, kale, parsley, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes and turnip tops, and fresh fruits such as apricots, cantaloupe melons, cherries, mangoes, papaya and peaches. Vitamin A is also obtainable from milk, milk products and fish liver oils.

      The B vitamins

      Called ‘the nerve vitamins’, this complex consists of more than twenty vitamins which are essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system and for counteracting the harmful effects of stress. The B vitamins affect the immune system, which protects us from infection and other forms of disease.

      All the vitamins work together and are best obtained as a complex. They include thiamin (B₁), riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pyridoxine (B₆) – which helps to strengthen collagen and increase resistance to pain – folic acid (B₉) – which acts as an analgesic (pain reliever) – and cyanocobalamin (B₁₂).

      The B vitamins may be obtained from brewer’s yeast, eggs, fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, liver, milk, nuts, pulses (dried peas, beans and lentils), seeds, wheat germ and whole grains and cereals. They are also synthesized (changed into usable form) by intestinal bacteria.

      Vitamin C

      This water-soluble vitamin is needed for healthy tissues, to promote healing and to reinforce resistance to disease. It must be supplied daily since it is not stored in the body.

      Vitamin C is essential for the formation and maintenance of collagen, the strong cement-like material that holds cells together. As pointed out in chapter one (here), much of the protective connective tissue in the back is composed of collagen, which is formed largely of protein. Connective tissue plays an important role in the transport of nutrients to various structures (such as bones, tendons and muscles) and in the elimination of waste matter from them.

      Vitamin C also contributes to the utilization of oxygen and to the maintenance of a healthy blood circulation. It is, in addition, an anti-stress vitamin and, like vitamins A and E, an antioxidant which helps to slow down the destructive effects of oxygen and other substances.

      The best sources of vitamin C include: fresh fruits such as apricots, blackberries, cantaloupe melons, cherries, elderberries, gooseberries, grapefruit, guavas, honeydew melons, kiwi fruit, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, papayas, rosehips (the seed-pods of wild roses), strawberries and tangerines; fresh vegetables such as cabbage, dandelion leaves, green and red peppers, kohlrabi, mustard and cress and turnip tops.

      Vitamin D

      This nutrient is needed to help in absorbing the mineral calcium from the small intestine. It is also required for the assimilation of the mineral phosphorus. The action of sunlight on the skin’s oils promotes its formation, and it is then absorbed through the skin back into the body. Significant reserves of vitamin D are stored in the liver, spleen, brain and bones.

      Probably the most reliable source of this nutrient is vitamin D-enriched milk. Other sources include: butter, eggs, fatty fish (such as mackerel and salmon, with the skin) and fish liver СКАЧАТЬ