three back pain

:The Three Hidden Causes  of All Back Pain

Excess: Too Much of Something

When we talk about excess, we’re talking about too much 

of something. If you drink too much soda, coffee, or 

caffeinated drinks, you’ll have too much caffeine in your 

system (as well as other junk). Since caffeine is a diuretic that 

causes you to urinate a lot, you’ll have too little water left in 

your body. The discs in the spine need water to stay healthy 

,and function optimally. Too little water and they degenerate 

bulge, or herniate, making you vulnerable to nerve 

.compression and pain 

If you eat too much of the wrong kinds of fats—such as 

;hydrogenated (partially or fully) vegetable oils; fried foodS

and foods such as chips, crackers, and the like—you’ll likely 

carry too much fat on your body, potentially straining your 

,muscles and putting extra pressure on your back. In addition 

since the body requires a delicate balance of different kinds of 

fats to avoid inflammation, too much of these “bad” fats will 

tip the scales in favor of inflammation and pain. (I’ll explain 

.(more about diet and inflammation in a later chapter 

We can have too much of just about anything in any area 

of our lives. I’ve touched on diet, but what about the physical 

body? Too much running, cycling, or weightlifting—without 

cross-training with other types of exercise, sports, or 

activities—can lead to uneven muscle strength and flexibility 

Too much sitting at the computer can lead to shortened 

muscles in the backs of the legs, which creates back pain. Too 

much stretching, without strength training, can lead to weak 

.and flabby muscles that no longer support the body properly 

We can expand this concept to our mental lives. Too 

much stress can weaken the body’s defenses and lead to 

sickness. Too much anxiety can lead to tension headaches and 

irritable bowels—even panic attacks. Too much self-judgment 

can lead to depression and low self-esteem, which decreases 

blood flow in the body and robs the tissues of adequate 

.oxygen supply 

,All these excesses throw the body and mind out of balance 

tipping the scales toward back pain—not to mention other 

kinds of pain and/or disease

Deficiency: Too Little of Something

When we talk about deficiency, we’re talking about too 

little of something. If you drink too little water, you run the 

risk of dehydration and toxic buildup in the body, as well as 

constipation and back pain. Eat too little fruits and 

vegetables, and your body doesn’t get enough of the vitamins 

and minerals it needs to stay healthy, fight off stress, and 

.lower your risk of experiencing back pain 

As with “too much,” we can have “too little” of just about 

anything in any area of our lives. If we consider the physical 

body, the first deficiency that comes to mind is too little 

exercise. In America, we’re suffering from an obesity 

epidemic. I talked about too much of the same kind of 

exercise a moment ago, but for many people, the problem is 

too little exercise. We’re moving around a lot less than we 

used to and performing far fewer manual tasks, which is 

creating all kinds of aches and pains, to say nothing of the 

increase in such weight-related disorders as diabetes and heart 

.disease

If we consider our emotional lives, we can see how too 

little quiet time is a problem for many of us. We’re 

ــــbombarded by stimulation from all corners of our existence

,televisions, cell phones, traffic noises, loud voices, radios 

stereos, text messages, e-mails, and more. Rarely do we take 

the time to go to a quiet place and reflect. This constant 

stimulation leaves us anxious and unable to relax, causing too 

little oxygen to reach the muscles and creating blood 

.circulation that’s too slow 

,These deficiencies create an imbalance in the mind, body 

and diet—again, setting us up to suffer because of some 

.upcoming disorder or pain condition

Stagnation: Something Is Moving Too Slow

Stagnation can be caused by too much or too little of 

something in your life—or by both. Simply put, it’s the 

.slowdown of blood flow and body energy 

In a healthy body, the blood flows freely throughout the 

veins and arteries, supplying all organs and tissues with the 

.oxygen and nutrients they need while carrying waste away 

However, if that blood flow is restricted somehow, say, in a 

trigger point within one of your back muscles, it slows down 

.and clogs up the system 

Imagine one side of a two-lane highway. As long as those 

,two lanes stay open, traffic flows freely (usually!). However

during times of construction, one lane often is closed, which 

narrows the passageway and forces all the cars into the 

.remaining lane. The flow slows down

,There are many causes of stagnation. Too much anxiety 

tension, and fear all restrict blood vessels, as evidenced by the 

feeling of “cold hands.” Too much sitting for long periods of 

time, whether at the computer or on an airplane, restricts the 

blood flow in your legs, and can even result in a clot. Too 

much “bad fat” in the diet can slow down blood flow and

leave you fatigued. Too much strain on a muscle can cause a 

muscle spasm, which can restrict blood flow. Too little 

activity, too little stress relief, too little water, and too little 

stretching to elongate the muscle fibers all can lead to low 

energy and poor circulation. And poor circulation can lead to 

.muscle soreness, toxin buildup, and back pain